Image Credit: Sky Sports
By Lee Clow
02 February 2020 | Australian Open
Novak Djokovic came back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Dominic Thiem in five thrilling sets to win the 2020 Australian Open title.
The World Number Two, beat Thiem to his first major Grand Slam winning 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 in an exhilarating tie. The Serbian’s triumph was his 17th Grand Slam title overall and his eighth in the competition – a record total.
Djokovic made a perfect start to the game, taking a 3-0 lead in the opening set. Thiem, though, responded in some style and brought it back to 3-4, stunning his opponent. Thiem then went further and in the next game drew the tie level at 4-4. However, playing on his favourite surface, Djokovic turned up the heat and won the final two games claiming the first set.
In the second set, it was another close tie but Thiem appeared to get the upper hand with Djokovic looking erratic and feeling the pressure. With the set levelled at 4-4, Thiem took the final two games to pull himself level on a set each.
In the third set, Djokovic clearly lost his rhythm as he dropped consecutive service games. This allowed Thiem to take a 4-0 lead resulting in his opponent loosing six consecutive games. The Serb finally broke this sequence, winning two games, but his opponent was far out of reach winning the set 6-2.
At the start of the fourth test, Djokovic was consulted by a doctor having looked weary throughout the last set. However, the Serbian pushed on as he looked to draw the game level and prevent Thiem from winning his first Grand Slam.
Djokovic’s revival allowed him to save a break point in the third game and that proved to be a big moment as he began serving better again, looking more stable. From this, Djokovic claimed the fourth set resulting in the final to be won through the fifth and final set. It was the third time in the last four years in which the Australian Open final went to five sets.
Having played over three and a half hours, Thiem began to tire and faulter under pressure which allowed his opponent to take a 2-1 lead. Djokovic’s experience was shown in the final set as he held of Theim for the remainder of match, crowning him the king of Melbourne Park once again.
Djokovic’s victory means he has now won 17 Grand Slam titles putting him a step closer to catching Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who hold 20 and 19 Grand Slams respectively. Thiem’s close call means once again he has to settle for runner up having previously lost in two Grand Slam finals.
After the game, Thiem was quick to congratulate his opponent, he said: "I would like to start with a huge congrats to Novak, amazing achievement and also to all your team.”
"Unreal what you are doing throughout all these years. You and two other guys brought men's tennis to a completely new level. I'm really proud and happy that I can compete in these times. I fell a little bit short today but I hope soon I can get the revenge."
Match winner, Djokovic also spoke after the game, praising Thiem and stating how he will find success in the future: "You were very close to winning it and you definitely have a lot more time in your career. I am sure you will get a Grand Slam trophy, more than one,"
Djokovic then offered a speech highlighting the tragic events that have happened since the turn of the year, he said: “There was some devastating things that started 2020 with huge bushfires here in Australia, conflicts in some parts of the world. One person that I considered close in my life, a mentor to me, Kobe Bryant, passed away with his daughter. I would like to say this is a reminder to all of us we should stick together more than ever. Of course, we are part of professional sport but obviously there are more important things in life.”
What’s next?
With the Australian Open now over, attention will be drawn to the next Grand Slam tournament, the French Open, where both competitors will be looking to compete in once again.
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