Australia is the kingdom of Djokovic

Novak Djokovic

the index finger is brought to the temple.

"Head, head, head," he says to himself.

He does it after offering a recital of play and mettle, after dismounting Daniil Medvedev in a final that was expected to be tighter and that, against everything written and predicted in the anteroom, the number one has resolved with mastery to raise his ninth title in Melbourne: 7-5, 6-2 and 6-2, in 1h 53m.

It is the third in a row in the Australian great and the eighth of the last eleven editions, and contains the historical dressing that compresses the great historical race: there are already 18 greats.

The Serbian, then, is only two behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, both with 20, and draws a fascinating scenario for the remainder of the season.

In Australia, life is the same.

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In the same way that Paris belongs to Nadal and London to Federer, the first

major

of the course is under the protectorate of Djokovic.

Nobody develops in the Antipodes like the Serb, a prodigy of elasticity and knowing how to fight, superb in reading this latest triumph against a strategist of volume and back like Medvedev.

The Russian, an update of the Balkan by character and resources, another guerrilla who knows them all, tried to raise a harsh duel with the idea of ​​destabilizing his rival emotionally, but Djokovic not only kept the type but took the pan by the handle quickly.

Medvedev decompressed, he took over the final with sovereignty and majesty.

You could guess a game of chess.

However, much more friction was expected, less distance between one and the other.

Unlike other days when his blood boils easily, Djokovic (33) approached the pulse with courage and nerves of steel, while Medvedev, who usually does not blink or flinch, whatever the situation, began agitated and it grew warmer as the ground leaned against him.

He wasn't going to be in any rush, but neither was Nole.

20-shot rally?

Okay, why not.

Natural selection: in that duel of kilometer exchanges and distribution of emotional blows, the one from Belgrade dominated and enjoyed.

Nole started with an

ace

, and ended with a volley.

Rubric according to what was witnessed.

After a path full of thorns - Tiafoe, Fritz, Raonic and Zverev on the track, among others - Djokovic triumphed again on his fetish track and despaired of a rival who arrived at the crossroads on a streak of 20 consecutive victories since November , 12 of them against

top-10

tennis players

.

However, Medvedev got on his nerves, busting a racket when Nole had already taken the first set and led 5-2 in the second.

In a backhand-to-back litigation, the Balkan player clearly prevailed, consisting of hand-to-hand combat and, as he did in previous engagements, built his success on service.

Away from any doubt, he bit the rest and reduced the rival's second serve to rubble, out of his mind (32%).

Starting there were a couple of jerks.

The first from Djokovic to mark territory, 3-0 in eight minutes, and the second from the Russian to say that he was there too, 3-3.

A mirage.

Very serious, the Balkan maneuvered with temperance to open space and, once the first set was tied, he continued to fray Medvedev's spirit.

The ice man losing his place.

Although he reacted with a

break

in the opening of the second set, Nole, always stable, counterpunched immediately and gave a tremendous acceleration to clear any unknowns.

Also scored the second, the rest of the game was a catwalk of self-affirmation and demonstration that the great Djokovic is back.

It has not been easy for him.

He came from a difficult period, after that hit from New York when the wind blew in his favor and after being stripped naked by Nadal in the autumn version of Roland Garros.

Then came the controversy, some entanglements by the quarantine of Melbourne and a hinted dialectical exchange with the Balearic;

The target was again in the middle of the tournament, when he said that he suffered a significant injury to his right side and was considering abandoning.

Questioned the ailment, it was overcome and this Sunday ended up crowning again in the Australian central.

It is his kingdom, it is his farmhouse.

He has not lost there since he was surprised in the eighth of the 2018 edition by the South Korean

Hyeon Chung.

Since he left the first notch in 2008 at the age of 20, Djokovic has collected laurels in 2011, 1012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 and the latter.

Medvedev had prevailed in three of the last four meetings between the two, the last time at the Masters in November.

But, extremely inspired, the current king of the circuit won the title and compressed the fight with Nadal (34 years) and Federer (39), standing just two steps away from the two.

He and the Spaniard have shared ten of the last eleven

majors

;

Among the three, 54 of the last 63.

The Serbian, in addition, made sure these days surpass the record of the Swiss as number one.

On March 8, it will accumulate 311 weeks and will advance you.

At 33 years old, he has been practicing since his seniority and encompasses six majors over thirty, sharing the longevity record with Nadal.

Competing in all his expression, canceling and short-circuiting a rival as demanding as Medvedev, the Serbian asks again for a clue and warns: against all odds, he will always be there.

With nails and teeth.