ITF

Kvitova reached her first Grand Slam singles final since winning Wimbledon in 2014 ITFWorld // SPRING 2019 37 A dominant Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, could justifiably be dubbed the undisputed king of Melbourne Park after brutally dismantling Rafael Nadal in the men's singles final to clinch a record seventh Australian Open title. Djokovic was at his irresistible best and brushed aside Nadal, who simply had no answer to his rival's majesty, 6-3 6-2 6-3 in two hours and four minutes, as the Serbian lifted silverware at a third successive Grand Slam. A seventh crown moved Djokovic ahead of Roger Federer and Roy Emerson in the Australian Open title- winning pecking order, while the 31-year-old now has 15 majors to his name. He is third on the all-time list for Grand Slam titles, usurping American Pete Sampras following his latest salvo, with Nadal's haul of 17 firmly in his sights and Federer's trailblazing tally of 20 on the horizon. By winning in Melbourne, Djokovic is also the first man in history to record three streaks of three or more consecutive Grand Slam victories, following his triumphs at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018. "I am aware that making history in the sport that I truly love is something special," said Djokovic, who by virtue of reaching the fourth round had already ensured he would remain world No. 1. "I want to improve my game and maintain the overall wellbeing that I have – mental, physical and emotional – so I can compete at a high level for years to come and have a shot at getting closer to Roger's record." Djokovic's victory ensured that 14 of the last 15 Grand Slams have been won by the so-called Big Four – Djokovic, Nadal Federer and Andy Murray – although quite how long that exclusive club will remain intact is up for debate. Murray announced prior to his first round defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut that he is contemplating retirement due to a long-standing and chronic hip problem and that the Australian Open could be his final major. Djokovic, however, arrived at the final by accounting for first-time Grand Slam semifinalist Lucas Pouille, while his route to glory had also seen him dispatch qualifier Mitchell Krueger, wildcard Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Denis Shapovalov, Daniil Medvedev and Kei Nishikori. Nadal reached the finale without dropping a set – the seventh time in his career he had achieved such a feat – and he overcame two of the men's game's rising stars in the latter stages; American Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the semis. Tsitsipas wowed crowds with his energetic style and imagination, knocking two-time defending champion Federer out in the fourth round, before progressing further at the expense of Bautista Agut. No other Greek player had ever reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam, with the flamboyant Tsitsipas, who had a souvlaki named after him at a popular Melbourne eatery, describing his run to the last four as a "fairytale". In the men's doubles, French duo Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut completed a career Grand Slam courtesy of a 6-4 7-6(1) triumph over home favourite John Peers and Finland's Henri Kontinen. Unseeded pair Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shuai united to force their way to the women's doubles final and beat defending champions Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic, defeating the Hungarian-French second seeds 6-3 6-4. ■ ITFWorld // SPRING 2019 37 Tsitsipas beat two-time defending champion Federer in round four Djokovic dropped to his knees after winning a record seventh Australian Open title

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