Thaindian News

Melbourne, Jan 30 (IANS) World No.1 Novak Djokovic believes the Australian Open final victory over Spaniard Rafael Nadal was the greatest of his life and the match would be etched in his memory forever.

“I think under the circumstances definitely, this was the greatest match I ever played,” Djokovic said.

“The match that could have gone either way; the match that almost went six hours and adding to all that is a grand slam final and winning against the biggest rival. It was worth it. All this effort that we both put in last night on the tennis court. Something we will both remember forever.”

The Serb beat the World No.2 in a marathon final that lasted close to six hours. Djokovic won 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5 for his third title here and second successive.

Djokovic said the Melbourne triumph had still not sunk in and he felt proud of what he had achieved in the epic five-setter.

“I think it is still too early but I guess now I will have the time to enjoy the success because it’s not just winning a Grand Slam, it’s really more than that and in the way we played yesterday, it makes me feel very proud of what I have achieved.”

The five-time Grand Slam champion also thanked his girlfriend Jelena Ristic for her support. Jelena was seen cheering every point Djokovic won and stood up and lent her voice every time the Serb was down.

“We have been together for six or seven years and we have lots of support and understanding for each other. It was great to have her around,” he said.