Djokovic overpowers Nadal in astonishing final

If this was a heavyweight boxing bout, the referee would have had to stop the fight in the final round. In the final set every shot was a body blow, every rally, a right hook flush to the jaw. This was tennis' version of the Thrilla in Manila. A brutal fight, which like the blood-spattered Ali-Frazier showdown in 1975, will live long in the memory of people present at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, and the many millions watching across the world. At one point in the fifth set, despite their inability to walk straight, they conjured rallies of such ferocity that after one such lengthy exchange, a 31 shot melee and the longest of the match, Novak Djokovic, crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.

Yet he somehow dug deep down into his mind boggling reserves to edge Rafael Nadal 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5.

Epic is a word being bandied around regularly these days when describing matches between the top four. While this Australian Open final ticked almost all the boxes required to call it an epic, it fell a little short of the levels of sustained technical brilliance seen in the Nadal-Federer semi final.

However, for the pure Hitchcockian drama and the unbelievable examination of human will , this match trumped both semis. In fact, it trumped most tennis matches that preceded it. Ever.

In a six-hour script that Hitchcock would've been proud of, Nadal had Djokovic on the rope in the fifth, only for the Serb to somehow get over the line through the rear window.

In doing so Djokovic has done to Nadal what Nadal did to Federer three years ago. The difference here was that while Federer wilted in the fifth set in 2009, Nadal pushed the Serb all the way, inexplicably going from a break and 15-40 up on his opponent's serve in the seventh game before somehow managing to throw it away.

Nadal has a 107-1 career record of winning matches in which he has bagged the first set. The fact that he was unable to kill the match after breaking in the fifth will rankle, and though he looked visibly rattled after losing his serve to give the Serb a way back, he somehow managed to hold himself together at the trophy presentation.

'Good morning everybody'. he said, almost cheerily. It was close to 2 A.M.

Is this the Golden Era for men’s tennis? Trying arguing otherwise. Incredible.

Slow burner

Understandably, the match began slowly, with Djokovic incessantly muttering to himself and his team. His footwork was giving him a headache, the semi-final with Murray taking its toll. Across the net, Nadal's whipped forehand, such a weapon towards the end of the Berdych match and against Federer, was incognito. The tennis failed to reach their now perfunctory lofty standards, and the pair traded breaks before Nadal clinched the first set. After enduring a frustrating 2011 against the Serb - six straight defeats- two in grand slam finals, Nadal seemed on course to breaking the hoodoo.

But the new Djokovic avatar then exploded into life and a sense of deja vu hung over the arena as he took control of the match. 2011 must surely have flashed in front of the Spaniard's eyes as Djokovic started taking the balls early and bossing the rallies. In a flash he had taken the second and third sets.. Even a flock of seagulls failed to quell the resurgence.

The dark cloud that hung over Nadal for much of this time started shedding drops of rain that spread across the arena.

Rain delay

The rain came down at 4-4 in the fourth with Nadal clinging on to the Serb's coat tails through sheer will. His tennis had failed to step up to the pummeling he was receiving, but his heart, all steely aortas, veins and valves, kept him in the set, taking it to the tie-breaker. There he found himself 4-5 and a mini-break down, only for Djokovic to dump an easy inside out forehand put away into the net.

The Spaniard served out the set, fell to his knees, pumped his fists so hard his arms nearly fell off and let out a guttural roar. The match had come to a boil. It was now a visceral dogfight. A classic.

Final Act

The momentum had now swung Nadal's way but some incredible serving by both men meant that there was no sniff of a break till the sixth game. More brutal hitting from the baseline and then a break point for Nadal, which he gobbled up when Djokovic dragged a forehand long. 4-2 Nadal and the match was in his grasp. A chance to wipe out the misery of 2011 was in his grasp.

Then, the penultimate twist in the match unraveled. Novak Djokovic, running on an empty tank, broke back. 3-4 Djokovic became 4-4. That 31 shot rally, the longest of the match, came in the ninth game of the set with Nadal serving. With Djokovic floored, the crowd rose to it's feet in spontaneous applause. Djokovic picked himself up, dusted himself down and penned the final twist of this breathtaking tale, breaking Nadal in the eleventh game. The Serb then served out the championship, fell to the floor on the service line, before jumping up- simultaneously roaring into the hovercam that zoomed down towards him.

It was finally over and as Djokovic tore his t-shirt and once again let rip that now familiar primal roar, one got the sense that it would take Nadal a long time to get over this defeat. The Serb has struck seven past the Spaniard now without reply, and will no doubt relish dethroning him on clay at Roland Garros in May.

The French Open couldn't come sooner, and with Federer and Murray still very much seated on the carousel that carries the top four, the 2012 tennis season promises to be EPIC.

Picture Source: Reuters