Medvedev aims to end Djokovic's dominance in Australian Open final

Novak Djokovic has beaten Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 to win his ninth Australian Open championship and 18th Grand Slam title.

Djokovic's first successful Grand Slam title defence involved feats of endurance rarely witnessed before on a tennis court. Medvedev is on a 20-match winning streak that includes 12 wins against Top 10 opponents, with one of those coming against Djokovic last season.

It is an intergenerational showdown - Serbia's Djokovic turns 34 in May; Russia's Medvedev just turned 25 - and another in the simmering standoff between the Big Three and the next wave of up-and-coming players hoping to supplant the group that has dominated for more than 15 years.

As things slipped away, Medvedev bounced his white racket off the blue court, then absolutely destroyed it with a full-on spike.

He had broken to begin that set but Djokovic then reeled off four games in a row.

Djokovic who is the world number one has won all eight of his previous Melbourne finals. He never has won a match after dropping the first two sets.

Novak Djokovic has taken the opening set of the Australian Open final against Daniil Medvedev by a 7-5 score. Djokovic held at love, then broke to claim the set when Medvedev slapped a forehand into the net just after someone in the crowd called out during the point.

There were several lengthy exchanges at the baseline that lasted at least 10 strokes in that set, and Djokovic held an 8-5 advantage on those points.

Medvedev is aiming for his first major championship.

Novak Djokovic's major sponsor Head have admitted they "got ahead of themselves" after declaring the Serbian this year's Australian Open champion even before he took to the court for the tournament final. Spectators were barred for five days earlier in the tournament because of a COVID-19 lockdown, but they eventually were let back in at 50% capacity.

The temperature is in the mid-60s Fahrenheit (below 20 Celsius).

This is his 28th Grand Slam final. He has won 17 previously. The No. 4-seeded Medvedev is in his second major final.

"It's an incredible feeling, especially because of the fact that I managed to make history tonight and equal Roy Emerson's record of six Australian Opens", he said after winning his 11th Grand Slam crown to match Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on the all-time list.

Aus Open men's final between Djokovic vs Medvedev is on Sunday, 21 February, 2021. "They will come in time, but there are stages before getting there".

He lost only one set the entire fortnight including defeating defending champion Federer again in the semi-finals, before overpowering Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 in the championship decider.

The No. 1-seeed Djokovic is 17-0 in Australian Open semifinals and finals, making him almost as much of a lock on the blue hard courts of Melbourne Park as Nadal is on the red clay courts of Roland Garros. "To surpass him with Grand Slam titles, I'm speechless".

It was three long years before Djokovic secured a second major triumph, and he put his success down to a gluten-free diet.

Djokovic captured his eighth title and earned his 900th tour-level match win on the way.

The 25-year-old from Russian Federation also has won his past 12 matches against Top 10 opponents.

Here's part of what makes this final intriguing: It pits one of the greatest ever to play the sport, and at a site he's dominated, against a player who now is playing better than anyone in men's tennis.