2012 Australian Open final - The greatest Grand Slam final ever
The 2012 Australian Open final was played between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. At the time, Novak Djokovic ranked Number 1 while Nadal ranked number 2. This match is considered as one of the best Tennis matches ever played in history. It was a test of strength and stamina of both participating players. The match was won by Novak Djokovic 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 7–5 to win the tournament.
This match set the record for being the longest grand slam final ever. It went on for a duration of 5 hours and 53 minutes. It overtook the record of the 1988 US Open final played between Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl. It was a brilliant advertisement for the game of Tennis and surely would have helped in getting more people involved in the game around the world.
The first set of the match was won by Nadal 7-5 after a long and excruciating battle. Djokovic took the next set 6-4, despite being one break down. The third set was easily won by Djokovic 6-2 with his strong forehand game. Nadal came back and took the closely contested fourth set 7-6(7-5).
The fifth set was the best set of the match and contained a 32-stroke rally which left the players gasping for breath. The set was won by Djokovic 7-5. After this loss, Nadal became the first man to lose three consecutive grand slam finals.
It was a match of the highest quality. After the match, both men were applauded for their fantastic efforts at the Rod Laver Arena. Even Rod Laver was present to witness this amazing game and congratulated both players. Both men had become a part of history which would be remembered for a very long time.