“We made history tonight,” Djokovic said at the presentation ceremony. “Unfortunately, there couldn’t be two winners.”
It was the second time in 135 Grand Slam matches that Nadal was beaten after winning the first set. The only other time was against fellow Spaniard David Ferrer at the 2007 U.S. Open.
Djokovic joins Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Nadal as players to have won three Grand Slam titles in a row since the Open era began in 1968. The 24-year-old also took the title in Melbourne 12 months ago, sparking a season in which he won 10 tournaments, grabbed the No. 1 ranking from Nadal and secured a season-record $12.6 million in prize money.
The victory is worth A$2.3 million ($2.4 million) and extended Djokovic’s winning streak in title matches against Nadal to seven. He last lost to the Spaniard, who had an extra 24 hours to prepare for the final, at the ATP World Tour Finals in 2010. Nadal leads 16-14 in their career matchups.
Three Slam Losses
Nadal, 25, is the first man to lose three straight Grand Slam finals in the Open era. He won his 10th major in June at the French Open, where Federer handed Djokovic his last defeat at one of the sport’s four biggest events in the semifinals.
“Good morning everybody,” Nadal said at the presentation, drawing laughter from the crowd including Laver. “I will never forget this match.”
Djokovic, who won his first Australian Open in 2008, is the fourth man since 1968 to win the title three or more times, joining four-time champions Federer of Switzerland and Andre Agassi of the U.S., and three-time winner Mats Wilander of Sweden.
Djokovic dropped just 10 games in his first three matches this year at Melbourne Park for his best start in 29 straight appearances at the majors. He advanced to the final by outlasting Andy Murray, the No. 4 seed from Britain, in a semifinal three nights ago.
Five-Set Semifinal
