Djokovic re-asserts authority over Australian Open

The comeback began at Wimbledon, continued at the US Open and on Sunday, Novak Djokovic became the Australian Open champion yet again.
The world No.1 produced one of the best performances of his career as he crushed Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 on Sunday to win the opening Grand Slam of the year for a record seventh time, beating the mark he had shared with Roger Federer and Roy Emerson.
“Under the circumstances, playing against Nadal, such an important match, it's amazing,” Djokovic said. “In back-to-back semi-finals and finals, I think I made 15 unforced errors in total in two matches. At this level, under the circumstances, it was truly a perfect match."
It was a win that moves him into third place in the all-time list with 15 Slam titles (one ahead of Pete Sampras and Emerson) and when Roland-Garros rolls around in May, he will have the chance to complete the non-calendar Grand Slam (winning all four Slams in a row) for the second time in his career.
Considering where Djokovic was this time last year, his last nine months have been little short of miraculous. Almost exactly 12 months ago, he was going under the knife to have elbow surgery; now he is closing in on Federer (20) and Nadal (17) in the all-time list of Grand Slam champions.
“Making history in the sport I truly love is something special and of course it motivates me,” he said. “Playing Grand Slams and biggest ATP events is the biggest priority for me this season and the seasons to come. How many seasons are to come? I don't know. I'm not trying to think too much in advance.
“I do want to definitely focus myself on continuing to improve my game and maintaining the overall well-being that I have mental, physical, emotional, so I would be able to compete at such a high level for the years to come, and have a shot at eventually getting closer to Roger's record. But it’s still far.”
Nadal had played stunning tennis to reach the final without losing a set, but right from the first point, Djokovic looked in the mood to dominate. He set the tone by breaking in the second game and he cruised through the first set losing just one solitary point on his serve.
The second set was even more one-sided with Djokovic always the aggressor, rushing Nadal into mistakes while at the other end, the world No.1 was rock solid, coughing up just nine unforced errors in the entire match.
Nadal had one chance, in the third set, to get back on serve at 3-3 but Djokovic forced another error, before pulling away, breaking again in the ninth game to clinch victory as Nadal’s backhand flew over the baseline.
For Nadal, it was perhaps a leap too far, having come into the event without any match practice since September. “It was unbelievable the way that he played, no doubt about that,” Nadal said.

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