Novak Djokovic further cemented his place in the tennis history books as the best hard-court player, clinching a third successive Australian Open title and record-extending ninth in all with a comprehensive 7-5 6-2 6-2 thrashing of Russian Daniil Medvedev.
Many had expected a tense and keenly contested match, but Djokovic triumphed in 1 hour and 53 minutes, taking his total Grand Slam haul to 18, two shy of the 20 held by rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Daniil Medvedev has now lost the 2 finals he had contested, having lost the 2019 US Open to Rafael Nadal. Medvedev at 25 is the youngest Australian Open men’s singles finalist since Djokovic in 2012. He came into the final on the back of a 20-match winning streak that included 12 top 10 players including Djokovic. His confidence was quickly deflated as the 33 years old world’s no. 1 totally took control of the game after taking the first set.
Djokovic the first man in the Open Era to win three Australian Open titles after turning 30, and he joins Nadal atop the list of Open Era players for most slam wins aged 30 or older, with six apiece.
For winning the 109th edition of the Australian Open, the 53rd in the Open Era, the champions, Novak Djokovic in the men and Naomi Osaka in the women will each earn $2,138,125, and the finalists going home with $1,166,250.
