In winning his 15th Grand Slam title, Novak Djokovic was sublime

The prevailing view among nearly all of the game’s authorities was that Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were going to treat the public to another one of their epic confrontations in the Australian Open final. Both champions were at the peak of their powers. Djokovic had dropped sets in his third-and-fourth-round matches against Denis Shapovalov and Daniil Medvedev, but had given a sterling performance in dismantling Lucas Pouille at the cost of only four games across three sets in the penultimate round. Nadal was highly charged all the way into the title round, refusing to drop a set, taking apart the likes of Alex De Minaur, Frances Tiafoe and the dynamic Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic and Nadal approached the final brimming with confidence, physically fresh and determined to make history of a high order. This first major final of 2019 figured to be nothing less than a top-of-the-line battle.

But in raising his career record against Nadal to 28-25, in defeating the Spaniard for the fourth time in eight head-to-head final-round meetings at the majors, in claiming a record seventh Australian Open title, Djokovic turned this auspicious occasion into a showcase for his preeminence. He was thoroughly in the zone. Six of their previous seven clashes in the finals of Grand Slam events had gone four sets, and once they celebrated a five-set masterpiece in the same Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne. That 2012 gem lasted five hours and 53 minutes.

This time, however, Djokovic needed only two hours and four minutes. The Serbian obliterated his most revered rival 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 without losing his serve, making only nine unforced errors, releasing 34 winners, utterly controlling the tempo of the contest with the depth of his ground game, stupendous serving with uncanny accuracy and mind-boggling ball control. It was a sublime performance. In moving past Pete Sampras into third place on the all time men’s list with his 15th major singles crown, Djokovic gave a virtuoso performance. In my view, it was the best tennis match he has ever played at any of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

By virtue of this triumph, Djokovic has set himself apart once more on the historical ladder of the sport. No man had ever collected three or more majors in a row on three different occasions, but now he has done just that. The Serbian stylist took the last two Grand Slam events of 2011 and then was victorious at the 2012 Australian Open. He secured the last two majors of 2015 and the first two the following year, establishing himself as the first man since Rod Laver captured his second Grand Slam in 1969 to sweep four in a row. Now this man of unparalleled ambitions has run off another string of three “Big Four” tournaments in a row, and the feeling grows that he has an excellent chance to make it four straight at Roland Garros in June.

Nadal, of course, was looking to round out his record by becoming the first man since Laver to own at least two titles at all four of the majors, but this singularly dignified individual suffered a humiliating defeat, falling for the fourth time in five Australian Open finals. But the view here is that Djokovic is poised to achieve what Nadal was unable to do. Djokovic looms in my mind now as at least a co-favorite to rule at Roland Garros for the second time, and that would allow him to hold that distinction. In addition to his seven titles in Melbourne, Djokovic has been the victor four times at Wimbledon, thrice at the US Open and once at the French Open.

From the outset of his 53rd career collision with Nadal, Djokovic was striking the ball beautifully off both sides and bearing down so hard that Nadal never had a chance to impose his game. Djokovic held in the opening game at love and then broke Nadal immediately, ending the Spaniard’s streak of 66 consecutive holds in the tournament. Despite making four out of five first serves, Nadal won only a single point in that second game as Djokovic picked him apart meticulously from the back of the court. Djokovic promptly held at love with his second ace, moving to 3-0. In those three games, Djokovic had won 12-of-13 points.

Nadal nearly went down two breaks. He trailed 30-40 in the fourth game but rescued himself there with a well-directed body serve to the Djokovic forehand. The top seed’s return landed long. Nadal held on for 1-3 but did so tenuously. Djokovic did not skip a beat, holding at love for 4-1, serving two aces in that game. Nadal managed to hold from 30-30 in the sixth game but that did nothing to halt the momentum of the favorite. He accelerated the pace of his shots in holding at love for 5-2, concluding that seventh game with a sparkling backhand down-the-line winner set up by a fine serve to the forehand.

At last, Nadal had a routine love hold in the eighth game, but Djokovic wasn’t swayed by his opponent’s effort. Serving at 5-3, 30-15, Djokovic prevailed in a 21-stroke exchange that was by far the best of the match up to that stage. When he forced an error from Nadal on a netted backhand with a crosscourt forehand, Djokovic knew he was going to close out the set. On the next point, he went with his patented slice serve wide to the Nadal backhand, set up his forehand down the line, and rushed his adversary into a forehand mistake. Set to Djokovic, 6-3.

Djokovic had been as close to letter perfect as possible. He had won 20-of-21 points on serve with masterful placement and unerring ground strokes to back it up. It was one of the most lopsided 6-3 sets I have ever seen at this level of the game. Nadal was fortunate to win as many games as he did, but he knew full well that he would be hard pressed to work his way into the match.

Nadal commenced the second set with a prideful hold at 30 with a forehand down-the-line winner off a deep return. But Djokovic kept coming at him with a bombardment of deep shots from the baseline, and serving that was almost impossibly precise. He held at love for 1-1. After Nadal held on for 2-1, Djokovic once more retaliated forcefully, losing only one point on his serve as he made it 2-2. The Serbian stepped up his game even more persuasively. With Nadal looking helpless and downcast, Djokovic broke at 15 for 3-2.

Now ahead by a set and a break, Djokovic was tested on his serve for the first time all evening. Nadal got to deuce with one of his heaviest crosscourt forehands of the match, coaxing a rare backhand error from Djokovic. The 31-year-old Serbian reached game point for the second time with an inside in forehand winner, but a determined Nadal sent a forehand down the line on the run for an outright winner to force another deuce. And yet, the Spaniard pressed on the next point, driving a forehand crosscourt wide.

That unforced error from Nadal was costly. An unflustered Djokovic made good on his third game point, driving his two-hander up the line to draw a backhand error from a beleaguered Nadal. Djokovic had gone to 4-2, displaying remarkable composure at a critical stage of the contest. Relaxed now, knowing he had not wavered in his first difficult service game, Djokovic opened up off both wings and got an insurance break. After Nadal double faulted for 15-15 in the seventh game, Djokovic took total control of a rally and ended it with an inside out forehand winner. In the next point, Nadal really drove a backhand crosscourt reasonably well, but Djokovic responded with a dazzling forehand winner down the line. Having soared to 15-40, Djokovic did not descend. A deep backhand down the line from the top seed was too much for the No. 2 seed. Djokovic had broken at 15 for 5-2.

Serving for that second set in the eighth game, Djokovic opened with a forehand winner up the line, and then put forth three aces in a row. The first one was out wide in the ad court, the second down the T in the deuce, and the last one was out wide again. That love hold to win the 6-2 set underlined Djokovic’s supremacy. It carried him into the third set with full conviction. In his career at the Grand Slam tournaments, Djokovic had a 190-1 record when winning the first two sets.

His lone loss under those circumstances was in 2010 at the French Open against Jurgen Melzer, another left-hander who hailed from Austria. But that was nearly nine years ago. It was not going to happen in this skirmish with Nadal, not the way Djokovic was playing, not the way Nadal was feeling. Early in the third set, Djokovic started resorting often to the drop shot. Some of them backfired and some succeeded, but at 30-40 in the third game it worked. Djokovic went crosscourt off the backhand with the drop shot there to coax another error from his perplexed opponent. He held easily for 3-1 but Nadal characteristically kept competing hard. He held easily in the fifth game and then garnered his one and only break point of the match.

Hoping to make it back to 3-3 and give himself a chance, Nadal missed flagrantly on a crosscourt backhand. That glaring unforced error allowed Djokovic back to deuce. The Serbian took the next point and held for 4-2, implementing an excellent wide serve to set up a forehand winner. Nadal held one last time in the seventh game and then pushed Djokovic to deuce. After Djokovic took the next point, his backhand volley down the line clipped the net cord and fell over.

That piece of good fortune carried Djokovic to 5-3. Nadal was serving to stay in the match, but Djokovic was swinging freely. A gorgeous running forehand winner down the line brought Djokovic to double match point at 15-40. On the first one, he missed a backhand down the line, driving it long. But Nadal sent a two-hander long on the second. Djokovic had handed the Spaniard his first straight-set loss at a major since 2015 at the French Open. Guess who was responsible for that one?

Djokovic has every reason to be proud of becoming the dominant force in tennis once again. At this time last year, he struggled inordinately, losing to Hyeon Chung in the round of 16 at the Australian Open when he was still troubled by an ailing elbow and serving with an abbreviated motion. He then had surgery on the elbow but rushed his return to the game in the spring, losing early and abysmally at Indian Wells and Miami, a pair of hard-court tournaments where he has won a combined total of 11 titles.

But since Wimbledon last July, Djokovic has rediscovered his zest for the game and remembered who he was and what he can still accomplish. He is now only two Grand Slam titles behind Nadal and trails Roger Federer by five. He is a young 31. He has won seven of his last eight major finals and now is 15-9 in those contests overall. It is entirely possible that he will eventually pass Nadal, particularly if he upends the Spaniard at the French Open this year. It is also not unlikely that he will one day move past Federer to the top of the list. Novak Djokovic is not content with what he has done because he has every intention of declaring himself one day as perhaps the best ever to play the game of tennis.

This Week on Tennis Channel Plus:

WTA St. Petersburg: Starting Monday, Jan. 28 at 5 a.m. ET, catch live coverage of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy featuring Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova.

WTA Hua Hin: Top seed Garbine Muguruza headlines the field from Hua Hin. Watch every match of the Thailand Open, starting Monday, Jan. 28 at 3 a.m. ET.