Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal to win the epic Grand Slam final in Melbourne – Tennis Special
A jam-packed crowd at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park, Australia, was anxiously waiting to witness the greatest battle of the 2012 so far on Sunday night. World number one, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, went one-on-one with the
Spanish tennis king, Rafael Nadal, in the final of the Australian Open to deliver one of the most epic battles in the history of the game. The top seed mighty Serb strained past the world number two, Nadal, in an enthralling five-setter, settling the final
scores at 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5, to lift he first Grand Slam trophy of the 2012 ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) season.
The nail-biting contest was stretched to five hours and 53 minutes, with both men pushing each other to their limits. It was the longest-ever match being played at the Australian Open and any Grand Slam finals. Nadal put up the
fight of his lifetime to drag the match in the fifth set but the Serbian proved too good for him in the end.
It was not just a tennis match but a battle of pride and supremacy. Nadal had suffered six title defeats at the hands of Djokovic in 2011 ATP season and was deemed to be an underdog in the Sunday’s match. The former world number
one received high criticism on his performances against the mighty Serbian opponent and was ever-hungry for a victory against him. Nadal put up such an extraordinary display of resilience against the world number one which no one expected. He made Djokovic
to sweat and fight for every single point in the match but the top ranked contestant was too skilled for the Spaniard to contain.
Djokovic admitted in his post match reviews that it was the hardest-fought victory ever he registered against Nadal. The top seed dropped the opening set but came up with a thumping reply to clinch the following two sets in an
assertive fashion. The Serb was leading 5-3 in the fourth set tie-breaker round and needed just a couple of more points to conclude his Grand Slam victory but Nadal reeled off four straight points to pocket the set, stunning everyone in the arena and enforcing
a fifth set into play.
“Rafa, you're one of the best players ever, one of the most respected players on tour,” expressed Djokovic after lifting his fifth Grand Slam trophy, “We made history tonight; unfortunately there couldn't be two winners tonight.
I wish you all the best for this season and I hope that we will have many more finals like this.”
With the contest entering fifth hour’s play and scores levelled at 2-2, the intensity of the game didn’t drop a bit. Both gladiators kept exchanging points to keep moving neck-to-neck. Most crucial serve break of the match came
from Djokovic in the 11th game and he capitalized on the vital breakthrough to close out his championship victory at 7-5.
Djokovic was extremely delighted on his triumph and hopes he carries on his winning momentum in the upcoming tournaments. His victory over Nadal depicts that the Serbian has no plans of stepping down from the world number one spot
for quite a long time in future.
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