Novak Djokovic defended his Australian Open crown and won a 17th Grand Slam after digging deep into his physical and mental reserves to beat Dominic Thiem in a gripping five-set final.

The Serbian second seed won 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 for a record-extending eighth title at Melbourne Park.

Djokovic, 32, twice called the doctor while trailing before fighting back.

Austrian fifth seed Thiem, 26, still awaits his first major title after losing a third Grand Slam final.

• ‘We had to wait in line for bread, milk, water’ – difficult childhood inspires Djokovic

Djokovic, who fluctuated from steely brilliance to being emotionally erratic and back again, took the first of two championship points when Thiem pulled a forehand wide.

With Thiem getting plenty of support throughout in the Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic celebrated by putting a finger to his lip to shush some of the crowd, then breaking out in a grin before pointing to his box

Djokovic, who said he had been “on the brink of losing” when dehydration affected his energy levels, solemnly watched as he was lauded as the ‘King of Melbourne’ before being presented with his trophy.

He then gave an emotional winning speech where he talked about the “devastating” Australian bushfires, world conflicts and the death of American basketball great, and his “mentor”, Kobe Bryant.

“I would like to say this is a reminder that we should stick together more than ever,” Djokovic told the 15,000 crowd.

“Stay close to the people who love you. There are more important things in life.”

His latest triumph moves him within three of Swiss Roger Federer’s all-time leading tally of 20 men’s singles titles, and only two behind Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who is on 19.

The Serb’s fightback ensured the wait continues for somebody to break the stranglehold of the old guard, with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer having won the past 13 Grand Slam titles.

No other player has won a men’s major title since Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka won the US Open title in September 2016.

Djokovic will also return to the top of the world rankings, replacing Nadal, when they are published on Monday.

• Reaction to Djokovic’s victory over Thiem
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Fitting final to a dramatic tournament – but Djokovic provides a familiar ending

After an opening Grand Slam of the 2020 season which had pretty much everything, it was fitting that the tournament finished with another thrilling match.

Starting negatively amid a backdrop of devastating bushfires across Australia and players complaining about poor air quality, the mood was lifted across the fortnight by shock wins, incredible fightbacks and another star emerging in the women’s game.

When 21-year-old American Sofia Kenin beat Spain’s Garbine Muguruza on Saturday she became the eighth woman to win their first Grand Slam in the past 12 majors.

Thiem, having been a fixture in the top 10 for a number of years and winning 16 ATP titles, is far from being a new kid on the block.

But such has been the dominance of the ‘Big Three’, the Austrian remains a relative novice in the biggest finals as the younger players struggle to end their supremacy at the Slams.

Djokovic is the first man to win a Grand Slam title in three different decades since the Open era began in 1968.

Now the task of the younger generation is to stop Nadal and Federer doing the same.

Third time unlucky for Thiem

Thiem has long been considered one of the younger players most likely to end the dominance of Djokovic, Federer and Nadal, although many expected that to come on his favoured clay surface at the French Open, where he has lost the past two finals to Nadal.

His game – based on crushing groundstrokes and athleticism – always had the potential to be successful on hard courts, and winning his biggest title on the surface at Indian Wells last March appeared to give him added belief.

With the men’s semi-finals split across Thursday and Friday, Thiem had 24 hours less to recover than Djokovic and had spent almost six hours more on court over the fortnight.

That did not look to be a major factor, however, when Thiem moved one set away from finally getting his hands on a Grand Slam trophy at the third attempt.

Perhaps, ultimately, there was an element of fatigue – mental as well as physical – as Djokovic dug deep and Thiem hit 16 unforced errors in the fifth set.

Nevertheless, it appears only a matter of time before Thiem becomes only the second Austrian – after 1995 French Open champion Thomas Muster – to win a major singles title.

“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 told him.

Djokovic recovers from mid-match slump

Djokovic had eased through the draw with the concession of just one set, with a dominant service game that opponents had rarely broken.

He had raced to a 3-0 lead after a high-quality start but was then unable to sustain that level, mainly down to physical issues that flared up in the second set and continued through the third.

Djokovic disappeared off court at the end of the each set, also requiring a chat with the doctor on two separate occasions.

“I was hydrated well and everything. Apparently the doctor said I wasn’t hydrated enough,” Djokovic said.

“After I lost the second set, I start to feel really bad on the court. My energy dropped significantly.”

With the Serb constantly looking at the floor between points, walking wearily and mopping his brow, it was not a surprise that Thiem won six of seven games on the way to a two-sets-to-one lead.

Djokovic was also angered at a crucial juncture of the second set when he was docked a first serve for twice taking longer than the 25 seconds allowed to serve.

The Serb looked furious with the decision as Thiem punished the second serve to break for 5-4, sarcastically congratulating umpire Damien Dumusois and tapping his foot when he passed the chair at the changeover.

“Great job, you made yourself famous,” he told the Frenchman.

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

For the first three games, and for the whole of the final set, Djokovic played as well as even he could have hoped for.

But there were some very stressful times in between, illustrated in part by the sarcastic exchange with umpire Dumusois for issuing him two time violations in the space of a single game.

In the third set, Djokovic looked listless and lacking direction – later explaining he felt dizziness caused by dehydration.

The end result was the same though. An eighth final in Melbourne, and an eighth title. He is almost as difficult to beat on the Rod Laver Arena as Rafael Nadal is on Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris.

All of which means Thiem will have to wait a little longer for a first Grand Slam title. It is not likely to get any easier as the year goes on, but he has evolved over the past 12 months into a player capable of winning Grand Slams away from Roland Garros.

He now looks likely to be an imminent Grand Slam champion, although the 22 hours and 23 minutes he spent on court in Melbourne (that’s nearly three and a quarter hours per match) probably took its toll here in the end.

Scot Gordon Reid’s hopes of a second Australian Open wheelchair crown were thwarted by Japan’s Shingo Kunieda, who won his 10th Melbourne title.

Kunieda’s 6-4 6-4 victory earned him his 23rd Grand Slam singles success.

Reid, the 2016 champion, broke twice early in the first set, but Kunieda countered before making a decisive break in the ninth game.

Kunieda was an early break down in the second set but fought back again before taking victory with a forehand winner.

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Britain’s Joe Salisbury claimed his first Grand Slam doubles title as he and partner Rajeev Ram won the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

The 27-year-old and American Ram, 35, beat Australian wildcards Max Purcell and Luke Saville 6-4 6-2 in the final on the Rod Laver Arena.

He and Jamie Murray are the only two British winners of the men’s doubles title in Australia in the Open Era.

“It feels surreal. I’m so, so happy,” Salisbury told BBC Sport.

“We believed deep down we could do it but now it has actually happened it is amazing.

“It is going to take a bit of time to sink in.”

Salisbury, who was ranked outside the world’s top 100 two years ago, will now rise to number four.

“It is tough when you are playing the lower-ranked tournaments to get enough points to get your ranking high enough to play in the big tournaments,” added the Briton, who shares a prize of 760,000 Australian dollars (£385,000) with his partner.

“I had the breakthrough making the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2018 and making the main tour. But it is tough to work your way up.”

It was a dominant performance by the Briton and partner Ram, who did not face a break point throughout the match.

Ram won the mixed doubles in Melbourne 12 months ago but this was his first men’s doubles title in his 58th major tournament.

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When Sofia Kenin was closing in on her maiden Grand Slam title, her dad could barely watch.

Alex Kenin’s face was contorted with tension and then covered with his hands as he hunched forward nervously on his seat.

This was the moment they had dreamed of ever since she picked up a racquet aged five and became a child prodigy who hit with the stars.

When Kenin’s 4-6 6-2 6-2 win over Garbine Muguruza in the Australian Open final was complete, the 21-year-old American raced around the net to the opposite corner of the court to tenderly grasp the hand of her father, who is also her coach.

She says they both asked each other what had just happened.

Two hours or so later, with the Daphne Akhurst trophy on the table and a glass of Champagne in her hand, she had a simple message to the man who gave her the “American dream”.

“Just thank you to him. We can share this forever,” said Kenin.

Alex, a quiet Russian who moved to New York in 1987, responded by using his two index fingers to draw a smile on his face.

“He saw I had talent and we said ‘let’s just go for it and do this professionally for my life’,” said Kenin, who will rise to seventh in the world when the rankings are updated on Monday.

“He knows what he is talking about and comes up with the right plans and the right strategies. He just knows it.

“He did it by learning the whole experience. He is crazy smart.”

What makes Kenin’s rise remarkable is the fact her dad has guided her all the way there as a self-taught coach with little background in the sport.

Alex drove one of New York City’s iconic yellow cabs before becoming a computer consultant, then took over as her coach when his daughter’s career became more serious.

He played tennis “just for fun” in his younger days back home in Moscow and Crimea but says he did not play “well”.

It was apparent his daughter, who Alex and wife Svetlana took to be born back in Russia before returning to Manhattan shortly afterwards, was a special talent.

She quickly became a star in the States, featuring on television programmes and the covers of magazines which labelled her as a future Grand Slam champion.

Famously, aged seven, she claimed she would be able to return a serve from hard-hitting American star Andy Roddick, then practised with the likes of Grand Slam champions John McEnroe, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.

The WTA posted a video this week of four-time Grand Slam singles champion Clijsters giving a tour to a then six-year-old Kenin, with the Belgian saying “who knows, she might be one of the new big stars”.

Quickly she rose through the junior ranks, with two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka even saying recently that Kenin “killed it” during those years.

The constant by her side has been her dad, who says he was never tempted to hire a ‘professional’ coach.

“She was always number one at 12, 14, 16, 18. So why change a good thing?” said Alex, who thanked journalists for their “attention” after he spoke to them.

His daughter has become the youngest Australian Open champion since Maria Sharapova in 2008 and the eighth woman to become a first-time Grand Slam winner in the past 12 events.

As with Japanese 22-year-old Osaka and 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu before her, she has become the latest young star to leave the world wondering if she can go on to dominate the game.

Throw American 15-year-old Coco Gauff, who Kenin impressively beat in the last 16 in Melbourne, into the mix and the future of the women’s game looks bright.

“I saw what Naomi and Bianca achieved and I really wanted to achieve that,” said Kenin, whose given name is Sofia but is known by its diminutive Sonya – the name of Alex’s mother – at home.

“It gave me a big boost, big motivation.

“My dad was telling me: ‘It is great for them and you can really achieve this too’.

“I’ve seen women’s tennis is changing. We can all play each other on any given day and there can be a lot of damage happening.”

Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion, can testify as to the damage Kenin can cause.

The American’s relentless returning, ability to execute under pressure and an insatiable will-to-win ground down the Spaniard, who led by a set before being mentally and physically worn down in Saturday’s final in Melbourne.

Kenin swung the match her way with a monumental hold from 3-2 40-0 down in the third set.

Two backhands down the line under the most intense of pressure were outrageous, a third winner – this time down the other flank – almost ridiculous.

An ace out wide and a crosscourt forehand winner – after drawing Muguruza into the net – clinched the hold. It also virtually clinched the championship.

Muguruza crumbled from that point, producing three double faults – including one on match point – in what proved to be the final game.

“I knew I needed to come up with the five best shots of my life. I mean, let’s go!” laughed Kenin, who plans to spend some of her £2.1m winnings in luxury jewellery stores in Melbourne.

Growing up in the affluent Manhattan neighbourhood of Upper East Side, she says she is a “typical blonde girl” from that area.

“I’m into all those fancy stores,” said Kenin, who has almost doubled her previous career winnings of £2.9m.

“I like to have that luxurious life. I’ve worked so hard for it. it’s super exciting and I get to do what I want.”

That she is able to do that is down to father Alex and mother Svetlana, who was back home in Florida with Kenin’s grandma, sister and dogs.

Kenin said her mum cannot watch her matches because she gets too nervous.

“I called her right after the match just to tell her that everything’s fine, I won, she can just relax now,” said Kenin, who mouthed “Oh my God! Look at all these people” when she walked into a packed media room.

“I told her I’m not going to be able to talk to you for hours, but at least you know that I won.

“I’m coming home, you can give me the biggest hug of your life.”

Although the rest of the Kenin family could see exactly what was happening on Rod Laver Arena through the television pictures, Alex melted the hearts of more than a few people who watched him film his daughter’s maiden Grand Slam acceptance speech on his mobile phone.

Afterwards, sitting alone in a quiet media area and going through countless messages on the same device, he had a confession to make.

“It didn’t go too well, I didn’t press record properly,” he laughed.

It was probably the only mistake he has made this fortnight.

• Kenin wins maiden Grand Slam
• Kenin v Muguruza – as it happened
• Live scores, schedule and results
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Novak Djokovic will have to “go up another level” if he is to beat Dominic Thiem and win a record-extending eighth Australian Open men’s singles title, says Pat Cash.

Serbia’s Djokovic meets Austrian fifth seed Thiem at 08:30 GMT on Sunday.

Second seed Djokovic, 32, goes for his 17th Grand Slam title, while Thiem, 26, bids for a first.

“Thiem has a real chance,” said Australian Cash, who won Wimbledon in 1987.

“He hits the ball as big, he can last forever, he is super quick.

“It is really going to come down to whether he has the energy to outlast Novak.”

Djokovic has lost only three matches in the past 10 tournaments at Melbourne Park and has eased through this year’s draw.

Thiem reached the final after what he called “super intense” victories over Spanish top seed Rafael Nadal in the last eight and Germany’s seventh seed Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals.

“Djokovic has cruised through so easily, he hasn’t had a lot of tough competition,” added Cash, who will analyse the match on BBC Radio 5 live.

“Certainly not in the style Thiem brings. That is the only question mark for me.”

• Kenin beats Muguruza to win maiden Grand Slam title
• Murray & Mattek-Sands beaten in mixed doubles final

Thiem counting on adrenaline of reaching final

Thiem, who has lost the past two French Open finals to Nadal, has 24 hours less than Djokovic to prepare for his third Grand Slam final.

Djokovic played his semi-final against Roger Federer on Thursday night, with Thiem beating Zverev on Friday night.

The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam where both semi-finals are not played on the same day.

“There are disadvantages but also advantages,” Thiem said.

“I think it’s also a little bit of a challenge to have all the time one day off and all of a sudden two. Of course, I have less time to regenerate.

“But with all the adrenaline and everything, it’s going to be fine.”

Djokovic has won six of their previous 10 meetings, although Thiem has beaten him in each of their past two Grand Slam matches – at the French Open in 2017 and 2019.

Thiem also won when they last met on a hard court, a thrilling three-set win at the ATP Finals in November, which was widely recognised as one of 2019’s finest matches on the men’s tour.

“Novak is the favourite and coming in fresh is a big bonus,” Cash said.

“I think he will get through but it won’t be as easy as people think it will be.”

‘Djokovic wants to improve every day’

After needing four sets to beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in a tricky opening match, Djokovic has not dropped another set on his way to the final.

A nervous start against old foe Roger Federer briefly threatened him in their semi-final, before Djokovic reasserted himself to ease through in three sets as the Swiss struggled with a groin injury.

Djokovic has dropped serve only three times since his first-round match and has won 82% of his first-serve points in the tournament.

“He is serving better and his second serve is like 180/190kph – he wasn’t serving like that before,” Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic told BBC Radio 5 live.

“I didn’t tell him to serve 190kph second serve but I have made little changes with the ball toss.

“Now he is confident and believes he can serve harder.”

Ivanisevic, who won Wimbledon in 2001, linked up with the Serb last year on a part-time basis and works alongside his full-time coach Marian Vajda.

“It is tough to teach the guy who has been the best tennis player in the world over the past nine years but he still wants to improve every day,” added Croat Ivanisevic.

“It is great as a coach to have a player like that who wants to listen, to learn and improve every single day.”

Can Djokovic catch Federer?

Djokovic’s victory over 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer in last year’s epic Wimbledon final took him closer to the Swiss’ tally than he has ever been.

Knocking Federer out of this tournament – plus Nadal’s defeat by Thiem – has given Djokovic the chance of further reducing that gap.

Almost six years younger than Federer, Djokovic could add plenty more, barring a loss of form or fitness.

His pursuit of Federer and Nadal is made more remarkable by the fact he won his first major in 2008 – when Federer had claimed 13 and Nadal five – and only added a second three years later.

Djokovic will also return to the top of the world rankings, replacing Nadal, if he beats Thiem.

‘I have to risk a lot’ – what they say about each other

Djokovic on Thiem: “He is definitely one of the best players in the world. He deserves to be where he is.

“It seems like he’s improved his game a lot on hard courts, because his game is more suitable to the slower surfaces. The clay of course being his favourite surface.

“But winning Indian Wells last year, beating Roger in the final, that probably gave him a lot of confidence that he can win big tournaments on other surfaces, as well.

“It’s just a matter of one match here and there that can potentially give him a Grand Slam title, that he can actually get in the mix of top three in the world.

“He definitely has the game. He has the experience now. He has the strength. He has all the means to really be there.”

Thiem on Djokovic: “For sure he’s the favourite. I mean, he won seven titles here, never lost a final, going for his eighth one.

“It’s his comfort zone here. He always plays his best tennis in Australia.

“I think I have to keep a good balance. Of course, I have to risk a lot. I have to go for many shots. At the same time, of course, not too much.

“That’s a very thin line. In the last match against him, hit that line perfectly in London.

“Of course, I am going to take a look at that match, how I played, and try to repeat it. I mean, I’m feeling good on the court. I’m playing great tennis. So try to be at my absolutely best.”

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