The match had all the hallmarks of a classic, especially after a stunning opening set from both men, but the Serbian No. 1 soon put his foot down and raced to a 7-5 6-2 6-2 win in less than two hours.
Victory secures a record-extending ninth Australian Open title for Djokovic, who is now just two grand slams behind the all-time record of 20 jointly held by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Based on today’s performance, very few will gamble against him to one day be right – or maybe even surpass that marker.
While the match itself may have ended somewhat anti-climactic, the post-match interviews were anything but and showed the deep respect and admiration these two players have for each other.
“Just to tell you a little story,” said Medvedev. “I first practiced with Novak when I was 500 in the world or 600 in the world in Monaco and he was already world number 1, had just won Wimbledon. I was like, ‘Okay, he’s not going to talk to me’ or something because the man was a god to me.
“I came there and because I was shy I didn’t speak, so he asked me questions, talked to me like a friend. I was really surprised and it has never changed since I was 600 in the world or four in the world. ‘re a great sport and a great person, so congratulations. “
Djokovic replied: “I would like to return the nice words to Daniil. First of all, class act. You’re a great guy, a great person … We spent more time together, we practiced more in Monaco – you call me not anymore in recent years But it’s nice to see you think good things about me, thank you very much.
“I really like Daniil as a person off the field. He’s great, always very friendly, very outgoing, but on the field he’s definitely one of the strongest players I’ve ever seen in my life. time when you go. to have a grand slam, that’s for sure … but if you don’t mind waiting a few more years. “
No changing of the guard
This was a fascinating match of intergenerational talents, with 33-year-old Djokovic representing the all-consuming old guard of tennis and 25-year-old Medvedev the emerging stars hoping to one day dethrone the Serb and his colleagues.
Based on Sunday’s final, that day seems a long way off.
Medvedev had reason to be confident. The world’s number 4 has had a winning streak of 20 matches and is only the sixth active player to achieve this feat, alongside Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro.
But Djokovic looked imperious from the start, he broke Medvedev in his opening match and held his own twice with ease to take a 3-0 lead. However, when he played in his second grand slam final compared to Djokovic’s 28th, Medvedev’s early nerves soon dissipated and he quickly got into his rhythm.
The turning point in the early stages came when the pair exchanged a stunning 28-shot rally, with Djokovic throwing his last shot into the bottom of the net to mark the Russian breaking point. Medvedev duly capitalized with a mind-blowing defensive play to force Djokovic into another foul and the first set was soon tied.
A few minutes earlier, it felt like the Serb would race away with the opening set, but suddenly the momentum was at Medvedev.
The pair went toe to toe until Medvedev served to stay in the set at 5-6. As he so often does at crucial moments, Djokovic shifted up a gear and found extra length and strength on his return to break his opponent’s serve and close a hard-fought opening set.
This was the eighth meeting between these two big hitters – with Djokovic beating the head-to-head 4-3 – and it had what it took to be their best game yet.
However, after Medvedev appeared to be recovering well from that early disappointment by breaking Djokovic in the opening game of the second set, he soon crumbled and was two sets behind in an instant.
There seemed to be very little world No. 4 could do to prevent the attack and Medvedev’s racket carried the greatest frustration when he smashed it into the floor of the Rod Laver arena.
While Medvedev no doubt has the talent to compete with Djokovic – indeed, a stunning dropshot in the third set even brought applause from his opponent – the experience and mental resilience needed in the face of adversity in grand slam finals still seems lack.
To Medvedev’s credit, he was happy to go down and hit some stunning foundations when Djokovic tried to finish the match.
However, the world’s No. 1 proved that he was still one level above Sunday’s opponent, cutting off any belated hopes Medvedev could have won with a flurry of stunning shots.