It was the pair's 30th meeting and the longest in the tournament's history. Here is a set-by-set breakdown of the final, which lasted five hours and 53 minutes. The longest previous Australian final was 4:27 in 1988, with Wilander also winning against Pat Cash. The previous longest Grand Slam final was 4:54, the 1988 U.S. Open match won by Mats Wilander over Ivan Lendl. Both players battled exhaustion to put on a great show for the fans, but in the end Djokovic dug deep and found enough strength to win the championship. Djokovic, 24, has now won five Grand Slam singles titles in his career, including the last three going back to last year's Wimbledon. Djokovic has beaten Nadal in the last three Grand Slam finals, and their rivalry is arguably the best tennis has to offer. With the victory in Melbourne, Djokovic will remain the world's No. 1 ranked men's tennis player. For Djokovic this win is massive for his career, and he has now won three straight Grand Slam singles titles, a remarkable accomplishment.

Djokovic has a real chance to win all four Grand Slam tournaments this season.Nadal will certainly take some time to recover from this loss, and in December he told reporters he will take a month off after the Australian Open. Nadal has a lot of tennis ahead of him in 2012 because of the Summer Olympic Games in London. Nadal will be looking to defend his Gold Medal, as well as perform well in Grand Slam tournaments. Making sure he is well rested is important for him, which is why he will take some time to recover physically from this phenomenal match. Djokovic will have tremendous confidence heading into his next tournaments, and with another win over Nadal in a Grand Slam final, he now has the mental advantage in this amazing rivalry. Djokovic will certainly be the favorite in every Grand Slam tournament he enters this season, and will no doubt remain the world's No. 1 ranked player.

The most important moment of the match was in the fourth set when Nadal had just played a miraculous game to hold serve from love-40 for 4-4. After that  the roof was shut, at the Spaniard's behest, after four hours of riveting action. But when play resumed, the Serb held his serve and nerve to go up 5-4 before the set was decided in a tense tiebreaker. Djokovic stood on the brink of victory at 5-3, only to commit two unforced errors and helplessly look Nadal bring up set point with a booming unreturnable serve. Djokovic sent the capacity crowd into a frenzy when he pulled a forehand wide to ensure a fifth and deciding set. Re-energised after drawing level, Nadal seized the advantage in the fifth set with a break to go 4-2 up, but was unable to consolidate as Djokovic - against all odds - roared back. Showing no signs of the fatigue and breathing problems he suffered in his near-five-hour, five-set semi-final win over Andy Murray on Friday night, Djokovic continued to club winners from all parts of the court. When he finally prevailed, the Serb fell on his back in jubilation before ripping his shirt off to celebrate his third Open crown to go with his 2008 and 2011 titles.

 

Novak Djokovic SBR (1) - Rafael Nadal SPA (2) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5

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Matteo Rubinato
LOVE my fam, my girlfriend, my friends, life & fashion! Brutally honest... super sarcastic... Always laugh, always thankful!