The No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic raised his major trophy total to 15
Novak Djokovic has won his record seventh Australian Open championship and a third consecutive Grand Slam title by beating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the final at Rod Laver Arena.
The No. 1-ranked Djokovic raised his major trophy total to 15, behind only Roger Federer's 20 and Nadal's 17.
Djokovic improved to 7-0 in finals at Melbourne Park with a remarkably dominant and mistake-free performance against Nadal.
When they met in the 2012 Australian Open final, Djokovic needed 5 hours, 53 minutes to win. This time, it lasted just a bit more than 2 hours.
Djokovic finished with 34 winners and only nine unforced errors.
The 31-year-old Serb is once again at an elite level. If anything, the gap between him and the rest is growing right now.
"I'm just trying to contemplate on the journey in the last 12 months," Djokovic said, mentioning what he called "quite a major injury."
"To be standing now here in front of you today and managing to win this title and three out of four Slams is truly amazing," Djokovic said. "I am speechless."
The Serb also went on to add how he learnt a few slangs Down Under.
"Bonza! A ripper! Those are a couple of few Australian slang words I have learned over the few days. Thank you guys for making this tournament better and better each year," Djokovic joked.
Being gracious as ever, Djokovic congratulated his opponent for a great tournament and signed off by saying that he hopes to come back next year.
"I would like to congratulate Rafa for the two weeks. Like you said all through your career you have had injuries but you are showing to me and all out colleagues, the definition of resilience and fighting spirit, so thank you," Djokovic said at the post-match trophy presentation.
"I have been through a major injury and surgery the last couple of years. I had a surgery exactly a year ago and to be standing here with 3 out of 4 Slams, I am speechless," Djokovic added.
"This is the best tournament in the world and make us feel at home. Summer time in Australia and great vibe about tennis and I can feel it in every corner of this city. People respect tennis players, so thank you for your support," Djokovic said.
"Last but not the least, thank you guys for making this tournament better and better each year and coming in numbers to watch us. Can't wait to be back here next year, thank you so much," Djokovic signed off.
(With inputs from AP)
