Novak Djokovic wins ninth Australian Open by beating Daniil Medvedev
Watch highlights of Novak Djokovic’s 7-5 6-2 6-2 win over Daniil Medvedev to claim a record-extending ninth men’s Australian Open title, his 18th Grand Slam.
Watch highlights of Novak Djokovic’s 7-5 6-2 6-2 win over Daniil Medvedev to claim a record-extending ninth men’s Australian Open title, his 18th Grand Slam.
Novak Djokovic says his journey to a ninth Australian Open title and 18th overall Grand Slam trophy was an “emotional rollercoaster”.
You never know when the pivotal moment in a match is going to happen, when one player seizes momentum and never relinquishes it. Novak Djokovic won 12 of the first 15 points of the Australian Open final against Daniil Medvedev, holding for 3-0 in the first set with an ace followed by a serve/volley point that ended with a supremely confident Sampras-like jumping overhead winner at the net.
The start and finish of this match were happening at the same time.
Djokovic’s dominant start was underpinned by a massive difference in the players’ forehands: As the Serb raced to a 3-0 lead after eight minutes, he put all 11 forehands he cleanly struck into the court. On the other side of the net, Medvedev’s forehand was hemorrhaging errors as Djokovic went for the kill on that wing early on.
Djokovic would run away with the final 7-5, 6-2, 6-2, with this initial period of the match setting the tone and flow of baseline exchanges. After three games, Medvedev had hit 18 forehands and 11 backhands. Djokovic locked in on Medvedev’s forehand, extracting seven errors from it in the first three games. The first four times Medvedev hit a forehand groundstroke or return in the match, he yielded three errors. Medvedev did hit one forehand winner during this run, but it was inconsequential.
Medvedev made the first nine backhands he struck of the match in the opening three games, but the pressure from the overloaded forehand helped to contribute to two straight backhand errors, including one on break point in his opening service game.
Djokovic had a masterful game plan of ripping apart Medvedev’s forehand before the Russian could assert any strategy of his own, sowing the seeds of anger and disappointment that Medvedev could not shake off for the rest of the match.
Overall, Medvedev would finish with 11 forehand winners, but also contribute 33 forehand errors. Djokovic, by comparison, had much cleaner numbers off the forehand wing, with eight winners and only 16 errors. Medvedev may very well have gone into this match thinking it was going to be a battle royale of the two best backhands in the game. That narrative didn’t exist in the Djokovic playbook.
Everywhere you looked on the match stats sheet, Djokovic asserted his strategic superiority.
Baseline Points Won
• Djokovic = 53% (46/87)
• Medvedev = 38% (35/92)
Net Points Won
• Djokovic = 89% (16/18)
• Medvedev = 62% (8/13)
Serve & Volley Points Won
• Djokovic = 100% (2/2)
• Medvedev = 0% (0/0)
The average rally length for the final was 5.2 shots, which was the longest for either player for the tournament. It didn’t matter if the rallies were short or long, Djokovic had an answer.
Rally Length – Points Won
• 0-4 Shots = Djokovic 52 / Medvedev 43
• 5-8 Shots = Djokovic 20 / Medvedev 12
• 9+ Shots = Djokovic 15 / Medvedev 13
An ironic match metric is that Medvedev got dominated on the scoreboard, but actually finished the match with more winners, hitting 24 to Djokovic’s 20. But this match was never about winners. It’s the error count that made up most of the points, with Medvedev racking up 67 to Djokovic’s 44. This is where separation between the two players occurred.
The match started with an eight-minute mauling of Medvedev’s forehand. There would be no recovery.
Novak Djokovic continues his dominance of the Australian Open by overwhelming Daniil Medvedev to win a record-extending ninth men’s title.
Novak Djokovic has claimed the second set to take a 7-5, 6-2 lead against Daniil Medvedev on Sunday in the Australian Open final.
The World No. 1 won 80 per cent of second-serve return points (8/10) in the second set to move one set away from his ninth title at Melbourne Park. Djokovic is aiming to join 13-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal as only the second man to win nine or more titles at the same Grand Slam event.
The 33-year-old is also bidding to clinch his 18th Grand Slam title and narrow the gap on Big Three rivals Nadal and Roger Federer. Nadal and Federer both own a record 20 major crowns.
Djokovic made a fast start to his ninth championship match at Melbourne Park (8-0). The Serbian charged into a 3-0 lead in under 10 minutes, as he returned with depth and capitalised on three Medvedev forehand errors to break serve at 1-0. Despite an immediate response from his opponent, Djokovic rushed Medvedev at 6-5 with aggressive forehands and he landed a backhand passing shot winner up the line to earn three set points. The 17-time Grand Slam champion converted his third opportunity when Medvedev fired a forehand into the net.
After dropping serve in the opening game of the second set, Djokovic reeled off four straight games to take control of the championship match. The six-time year-end World No. 1 played with impeccable depth on his returns to extract errors and Medvedev began to misfire as he attempted to shorten rallies. Djokovic broke serve for the fifth time with a huge forehand return to clinch the second set.
Medvedev is attempting to capture his maiden Grand Slam crown. The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion entered his second Grand Slam final on a 20-match winning streak, which dates back to the start of his title run at the Rolex Paris Masters last November. Medvedev has defeated 12 Top 10 players during his winning streak.
In Medvedev’s only previous Grand Slam final at the 2019 US Open, the Russian rallied from two sets down to force eventual champion Rafael Nadal to a fifth set. If he is to keep alive his title bid, he will need to repeat that feat in Melbourne.
Britain’s Joe Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram lose the Australian Open men’s doubles final to Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek.
Andy Murray will continue his comeback season at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam with a wild card, the tournament announced on Friday.
Former World No. 1 Murray is making his way back to ATP Tour action after a strong start to the season at the Biella Challenger Indoor 1, where he reached his first final at any level since 2019. Murray lifted one of his 46 career trophies in Rotterdam in 2009, defeating Rafael Nadal in the final.
“Andy is of course on his way back from a lingering injury. We would like to offer him the opportunity to take another step in his comeback,” said tournament director Richard Krajicek. “With his honours list and his unique performances at Wimbledon, among others, he is one of the audience’s favourites.”
Joining Murray in Rotterdam with a wild card is World No. 7 Alexander Zverev, who rounds out a strong field of six players inside the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev and Matteo Berrettini are all scheduled to take part in the season’s first ATP 500 event. Two-time defending champion Gael Monfils and 2015 winner Stan Wawrinka will also be in action.
“We already had a fantastic field, but this is a bonus of course,” Krajicek added. “With six players from the global Top 10… we have a stronger field than ever before.”
The 48th edition of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament will be held on indoor hard-courts from 1 to 7 March, 2021.
There were seven Argentinian players in the Cordoba Open main draw, and all but two have landed in Diego Schwartzman’s half as he learned his tough road to a fourth ATP Tour title on Monday.
Schwartzman, who reached the final here last year, is the top seed at his home tournament. Should he advance through the top quarter, he could face countrymen Guido Pella, the No. 4 seed, or No. 8 seed Federico Delbonis in the semi-finals. Pella, who knocked out Schwartzman in the 2019 quarter-finals here, and Delbonis anchor the second quarter, which also features local wild card Nicolas Kicker.
View Singles Draw
The World No. 9 is into the second round with a bye, and could face a rematch of last year’s Cordoba quarter-final with No. 5 seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas landing in the Argentine’s quarter once again. Schwartzman defeated Ramos-Vinolas in a roller-coaster 6-0, 7-6(0) victory to extend his ATP Head2Head dominance over the Spaniard to 5-0.
But before Ramos-Vinolas can think about contesting a third quarter-final in Argentina (also 2019 Buenos Aires) against Schwartzman, he will have to handle another home favourite in the first round. He will begin his Cordoba campaign against Juan Ignacio Londero, who lifted his lone ATP Tour title at the inaugural 2019 edition.
Frenchman Benoit Paire is the No. 2 seed, leading the bottom quarter and eyeing a potential clash with No. 6 seed Dominik Koepfer in the quarter-finals. Two wild cards including former World No. 38 Nicolas Jarry, an ATP Tour titlist from Chile, have also landed in Paire’s quarter.
Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic leads a tricky third quarter as the No. 3 seed in Cordoba, looking for his second ATP Tour title. He could get #NextGenATP Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild in the second round. The 20-year-old is also looking to double his trophy count after winning the 2020 Chile Dove Men+Care Open in Santiago.
No. 7 seed Thiago Monteiro is also in Kecmanovic’s section. The Brazilian is among the players aiming to become Cordoba’s third consecutive South American champion, after Chilean Cristian Garin’s victory in 2020.
With his dominant semi-final victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev not only reached his first Australian Open final, he also joined an exclusive club.
The Russian followed in the footsteps of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro as only the sixth active player to claim 20 consecutive tour-level wins. Medvedev has triumphed at three events during his winning streak — the Rolex Paris Masters, the Nitto ATP Finals and the ATP Cup — and is now one win away from his maiden Grand Slam title.
One of the most impressive aspects of Medvedev’s winning run has been the level of opposition he has had to overcome to keep his run alive. Across his 20 wins, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion has defeated 12 Top 10 opponents. Since 2000, only three other players have compiled winning streaks of 12 or more matches against the Top 10. Their names? Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
Longest Tour-Level Top 10 Win Streaks (Since 2000)
| Rank | Player | Wins | Time Span |
| 1 | Roger Federer | 24 | 2003-2005 |
| T2 | Roger Federer | 17 | 2006-2007 |
| Novak Djokovic | 17 | 2015-2016 | |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | 14 | 2012-2013 |
| T5 | Rafael Nadal | 13 | 2005-2006 |
| Novak Djokovic | 13 | 2011 | |
| Rafael Nadal | 13 | 2012-2013 | |
| Rafael Nadal | 13 | 2013 | |
| Novak Djokovic | 13 | 2013 | |
| T10 | Rafael Nadal | 12 | 2008 |
| Novak Djokovic | 12 | 2014-2015 | |
| Novak Djokovic | 12 | 2015 | |
| Daniil Medvedev | 12 | 2020-2021 | |
Medvedev will need to add a 13th Top 10 win to his streak if he is to capture the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup on Sunday. The 25-year-old will aim to become the first player to defeat World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in an Australian Open final (8-0).
Ahead of his second Grand Slam final, ATPTour.com takes a look back at the 2019 US Open runner-up’s 20-match winning run.
2020 Rolex Paris Masters
Top 10 Wins: 2
Following a quarter-final loss to Kevin Anderson at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Medvedev returned to action the following week at the Rolex Paris Masters seeking his first title in 13 months.
The Moscow native moved past Anderson and Alex de Minaur to reach the quarter-finals, where he defeated World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-1. Following another straight-sets win against Milos Raonic in the semi-finals, Medvedev faced the man he defeated to win his most recent title at the 2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters: World No. 7 Alexander Zverev.
Zverev entered the championship match in top form, with 12 consecutive wins and back-to-back titles in Cologne to his name. The German took the first set in the French capital, but Medvedev stormed back to claim his third ATP Masters 1000 trophy with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 comeback victory.
“Before the tournament, I was not in my best form, playing not so bad with zero finals this year,” said Medvedev. “I was complaining to my wife like, ‘Oh my god, I don’t have the level. I don’t even have one final. I am playing so bad.’ Finally, I am the winner of Bercy, a tournament that I love.”
2020 Nitto ATP Finals
Top 10 Wins: 5
In his second straight appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, Medvedev went 5-0 to capture the biggest trophy of his career. The World No. 4 shocked Djokovic with a dominant 6-3, 6-3 victory and repeated Paris wins against Schwartzman and Zverev to top Group Tokyo 1970.
In the semi-finals, Medvedev survived the biggest scare of his winning run. In a repeat of the 2019 US Open final, Nadal held a commanding lead. The 20-time Grand Slam champion served for a straight-sets victory at 6-3, 5-4, but Medvedev capitalised on uncharacteristic errors from his opponent and turned the match in his favour. Nadal was aiming to record his 72nd straight win in matches where he claimed the first set, but Medvedev ended that run with a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory; his first ATP Head2Head triumph against Nadal (1-3).
With wins over the Top 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings en route to the championship match, Medvedev made history in his first final at The O2. The Russian recovered from a set down for the second straight match to defeat World No. 3 Dominic Thiem 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 and take the trophy. Medvedev is the only player to have defeated each member of the Top 3 in a single edition of the Nitto ATP Finals.
“I think it was the toughest victory in my life because Dominic is a really tough player to play. I think he was at his best,” Medvedev said. “Maybe it’s not the case, but that’s what I felt during the match. He was really close to winning it [in the] second set. I managed to stay there.”
2021 ATP Cup
Top 10 Wins: 3
After a well-deserved break, Medvedev carried his 2020 momentum into 2021 at the ATP Cup. As the No. 1 singles player for Russia, the three-time ATP Masters 1000 champion defeated Kei Nishikori and claimed his third wins in as many tournaments against Schwartzman and Zverev to reach the final.
Following countryman Andrey Rublev’s triumph against Fabio Fognini, Medvedev clinched his nation’s first ATP Cup crown with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against World No. 10 Matteo Berrettini. The Italian had not dropped a set en route to the final, but he could not stop Medvedev from breaking serve on three occasions to clinch the trophy for Russia.
“It’s a really big achievement because I also didn’t lose a match [in my last] 10 matches against Top 10 opponents… It’s a big boost in confidence,” Medvedev said.
2021 Australian Open
Top 10 Wins: 2
Aside from a five-set battle against 28th seed Filip Krajinovic in the third round, Medvedev has not dropped a set en route to his second Grand Slam final. Prior to the quarter-finals, the Russian also earned wins against Vasek Pospisil, Roberto Carballes Baena and Mackenzie McDonald.
To reach the final, Medvedev added two more Top 10 wins to his collection. The nine-time ATP Tour titlist beat ATP Cup teammate and World No. 8 Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-finals and World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 in the semi-finals.
Medvedev enters his eighth ATP Head2Head encounter against Djokovic with a 3-4 record. If he can level that record at 4-4 on Sunday, he will become the youngest man to win a Grand Slam singles title since his opponent’s epic 2012 triumph at this event.
Medvedev has been tested throughout his 20-match winning run, but if he is to extend his undefeated streak, he will need to pass a test that no player has managed to overcome so far. Can he become the first player to defeat Djokovic in an Australian Open final?
“[Djokovic] is the favourite because… [in the] eight occasions that he was in the semi-finals, he won the tournament,” said Medvedev. “I’m the challenger, the guy that challenges the guy who was eight times in the final and won eight times. I’m happy about it.”
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