Djokovic grabs his eighth title in Australia and regains number one

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic won this Sunday 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3 and 6-4 to Austrian Dominic Thiem in the Australian Open final, after an intense game that served the Balkan for to conquer his eighth title in said tournament and recover the number one of the world ranking of the ATP, to the detriment of the Spanish Rafael Nadal.

After 3 hours and 59 minutes with a fascinating battle on the hard track of the Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic grabbed his seventeenth crown of 'Grand Slam'. Thus, the Belgrade player approached Nadal, who is 19, and already points to the Swiss Roger Federer, who accumulates 20.

Executioner of Nadal in the quarterfinals, Thiem faced his third final of a 'big', after the losses concealed in 2018 and 2019 precisely before the Balearic in Roland Garros. To top it off, he had an unbeatable man in the duels for leaving Melbourne champion.

Seven victories in seven finals, that was Djokovic's pristine balance before measuring himself against an opponent who during his training seemed only a specialist in clay. However, the Austrian is already much more than the champion of the 'Next Gen' project that drives the ATP.

And so he made it clear from the first bars, although not quite. In the second game, 'Nole' broke his service as soon as he had the opportunity and also consolidated the situation immediately. The service shifts continued and the Serbian barely became restless, but on the other side of the net there was no mere guest at the party of others.

Thiem accelerated in pace to repair the disadvantage in the seventh game and tie the score in the eighth (4-4), saving even a 'break' option that predicted the tenth's fight. Then, Djokovic did take the opportunity to break the opposite serve again, in the second instance, and sign up for a set full of quality (6-4).

For greater inri, the Belgrade player won his initial service in the second round and picked up his run. Before that gale, the Central European tennis player responded with another favorable blank throw and then made a timely 'break', with complications because 'Nole' resisted.

Demonstrating a formidable reversed cut, the Wiener Neustadt-born player set 1-2 and gained some distance (2-4) until he reached a turning point in the ninth game. Just before, Djokovic had recovered the lost ground with a break (4-4); and when he was about to consolidate that to get ahead, he had a small rifirrafe with line judge Damien Dumusois.

Thanks to a warning for violation of time executing his serve, the Serbian accused the nerves and finally committed another infraction, for the same reason, which earned him to be sanctioned by the French referee. Having lost that point due to regulation and not to racket, he was supposed to grant Thiem a breakout opportunity.

There, the Austrian benefited from setting the 4-5 and scoring 'ipso facto' the second set. His opponent was visibly angry and tapped Dumusois in three shoes when he passed his chair; He congratulated the French judge with irony and also, already sitting on his bench, added that his “good job” would make him “famous.”

Never give Nole for dead

Still with many signs of indignation, 'Nole' vanished and began sending too many balls to the doubles hall. The peephole had been misadjusted in each racket and his opponent squeezed it completely, breaking the Balkan's serve twice to track the sleeve (0-4).

There were almost no burdens until the eighth game, where the world No. 5 buckled the set to the fourth occasion (2-6). Djokovic had doubted, and had made his 'box' doubt in the stands, but he knew how to suffer with his subsequent serve turns. As if that were not enough, he saved an adverse set with 1-1 and 30-40, since then to be more solid.

In clear improvement, Belgrade was placed up 4-3 and 15-40. Thiem managed the times well at the first play, although he gave in the next and lost the ninth game blank (6-3). The fifth and final set would have the last word, with the Melbourne expert getting better and with the rookie between hesitations.

The talent and tenacity of the Austrian, yes, made him stand with 0-1 and took 'Nole' to demanding levels with each wrist stroke, with each attack strategy. Meanwhile, the anger with the referee was already past water and the heptacampeón was looking for a coup de grace to touch his eighth title.

In the third game, Djokovic smelled blood and only needed a 'break' ball to get ahead (3-1), pulled by the fans of Rod Laver Arena. On the other hand, his adversary wasted two options of breaking just below; they were details, nuances nothing more, that decanted the party of the side of the Serbian.

The new world tennis number one set a blank 4-2 that sounded like a sentence. Thiem clung to his service in the seventh game, over 7 minutes, and then prowled the breaking ball with a 15-30. However, Djokovic never rushed and was supported by the public to stand 5-3 on the verge of reaching 4 hours.

The resistance of the Wiener Neustadt tennis player lengthened the contest a bit, specifically what it took the Serbian to touch the glory (6-4) again in his favorite 'Grand Slam'. Its season start, with a title included in the ATP Cup, makes Djokovic even more fearsome for this 2020.