It was a good Sunday for former world number two, Novak Djokovic, as he defeated Dominic Thiem to win his eighth Australian Open title.
The match ended 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4, as the two stars fought to establish dominance. But Djokovic played the better hand, pushing himself to the limits to secure the win. The victory now pushes him to the top of the ranking list.
The match was indeed a tough one as it entered into five sets. 26-year old Thiem was indeed hopeful of beating Djokovic as he had won him four times in their five previous meetings. Indeed, defeating Djokovic would have been a thrill, as Thiem would have been the first man not in the “big three” to win the title after Marat Safin and Stan Wawrinka since Roger Federer started it in 2004.
Thiem still has a lot of fire in him, as acknowledged by Djokovic, and he still has a great chance of securing his first Grand Slam title, despite Sunday’s appearance being his third time at the finals. Already, he has 16 ATP titles to his name. He made use of opportunities, taking advantage of Djokovic’s fault and maximizing his opportunities, but he could not get past Djokovic, who has never lost a semifinal or final game in Melbourne. Thiem, however, enjoyed massive support from the crowd.
Sunday’s win moves Djokovic to 17 Grand Slams, with just three titles to match up with Federer’s 20 Grand Slams, and Rafael Nadal’s 19. Also, this win makes Djokovic the first person in the open era to win a Grand Slam title in three decades. Djokovic played to the extreme, meeting with his doctor two times as he fought to pull forward. Dehydration was also setting in before he edged forward to win the match.
Djokovic ended the match by being crowned King of Melbourne. He then gave a speech, speaking on Thiem’s fire, stating it could get him more than one Grand Slam title. He also
Elsewhere in the women’s singles game, American Sofia Kenin stunned everyone in her debut at the Australian Open to claim the women’s singles title, beating Garbine Muguruza. The game had three sets, with Kenin showing her brutality in the last two sets as the match ended 4-6 6-2 6-2. Indeed it was a serious upset at the women’s singles tournament.
Written by: Leon Osamor
