Novak Djokovic Downs Dominic Thiem in 5 Thrilling Sets to Win 8th Australian Open Crown

By: Rana Pratap Saikia

Serbian tennis machine Novak Djokovic on Sunday downed Austrian 'prince of clay' Dominic Thiem in five enthralling sets of tennis to win his eighth Australian Open crown and seventeenth overall by a score of 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Starting strongly off the gates in the first set in a performance reminiscent of his 2019 demolition of Spanish great Rafael Nadal, Djokovic operpowered a nervous seeming Thiem in a dominent set of tennis, which he took six games to four.

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However, Thiem upped the ante in the second set and found a way through Djokovic's usually solid defense with scintillating shots that were kissing the lines. A redlining Thiem continued this good form into the third set as well, and a hapless Djokovic, irate with the crowd for its overwhelming support of his opponent, could only watch on in dismay as Thiem's rockets whizzed past him.

In the 4th set, however, Novak showed once again why he is regarded as perhaps one of the most mentally tough opponents in sports, as he found a way to break Thiem's serve with some precision of his own. Djokovic's returns too started troubling Thiem, as errors slowly started creeping into his game, and he would eventually capitulate to Novak's consistent groundstrokes, losing the final two sets to a rejuvenated Djokovic.

During his acceptance speech, Djokovic paid tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant who passed away recently and mourned the lives lost during the Australian bush fires. "This is definitely my favorite tournament in the world. Thank you very much", the champion said, to raucous applause.

This win sees Djokovic regain the world no. 1 ranking from Nadal, and inch closer to Roger Federer's record of 20 grand slam victories.

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