Novak Djokovic’s ruthless win over Nadal puts him closer to Federer’s slam record

Novak Djokovic’s dominant era ended in 2017, but it looks like it’s here again, with the Serbian winning three straight grand slams in a row.

Novak Djokovic was efficiently ruthless, defeating one of the all-time greats, Rafael Nadal, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. There’s no question that Djokovic is the world No. 1 player and looks like he will retain the top ranking for another dominant stretch. The level of excellence was astonishing. Novak Djokovic only committed nine unforced errors in the final. Against Nadal.

Rafa—a 17-time grand slam champion, and one of the greatest fighters in the game—simply looked perplexed and frustrated. The 11-time French Open winner had no answers.

https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/1089489490958340096

“I can’t be sad because I played against a player today that was better than me,” Nadal said, afterwards, via USA Today.

“When he’s playing that way I needed something else. I didn’t have much chance with five months not playing. I needed that defensive game. What I need is time and more matches,” added Nadal, who in five tries, has only won the title in Melbourne once, in 2009.

Novak Djokovic, however, had all the answers. 34 remarkable winners flew off his racquet like magic.

“I’m just trying to contemplate on the journey in the last 12 months,” Djokovic said, via NBC Sports.

“To be standing now here in front of you today and managing to win this title and three out of four Slams is truly amazing,” Djokovic added. “I am speechless.”

The Serbian great now owns the Australian Open record of most slams in Melbourne, having surpassed Roger Federer’s and Roy Emmerson’s six. Most impressively, he raced past “Pistol Pete” Sampras to collect his 15th grand slam.

Now the era’s three legends in the game—Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic—sit on top of the grand slam haul with the most majors, a remarkable 52 total. The score board for tennis’ biggest prizes only reads those three names, for the most part, with only Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray occasionally crashing the party.

Novak Djokovic has just positioned himself that much closer to Nadal’s and Federer’s tally, sitting just two behind the Spaniard and five from the Swiss’ huge accomplishment. Novak Djokovic owns the head-to-head stats with both players. In his 47 meetings with Federer, Nole has beaten him 25 times. In the 53 occasions he’s gone toe-to-toe with Nadal, Djokovic has won 28 times. The last time Federer defeated the Serb was 2015. Djokovic is hot on the heels for bettering the only two peers he has in the game.

The 31 year old’s rise back to the top has been a revelation since crashing out in 2017, with a serious elbow injury. After returning to form last year, the world No. 1 has now collected last year’s Wimbledon and U.S. Open crowns, in addition to Sunday’s Australian Open. Novak Djokovic is the man to beat.

The next major is the French Open, an apparent target, to become only the second man in tennis history to complete the Calendar Year Slam. Only one man has achieved this elusive record: Australia’s Rod Laver. Even more remarkable, he reached the feat twice. If there was a legend who belongs with the Big Three, it would be Laver, an icon in the sport, honored with the Laver Cup each year.

“Well, I got to get Rod Laver in my team in order to achieve that. He’s the only one that has managed to do the impossible challenge, probably the ultimate challenge of the tennis,” Djokovic said, according to Metro UK.

Right now, the Australian Open winner looks unstoppable. Welcome to the Novak Djokovic dominant era, 2.0.