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As the fourth set melted into the fifth and the fifth hour approached an unfathomable sixth, this tennis match seemed to pass into the surreal: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, exhausted but transcendent in their Australian Open final that ended early Monday morning, flashing shots in an endless loop.
When the last ball shot dropped -- a staggering 5 hours and 53 minutes after it started -- Djokovic watched his savage forehand disappear into the shadows, fell to his back and closed his eyes. He was a winner, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5, in the longest Grand Slam final in the 44 years of the Open era.
For...
In a match with extraordinary comebacks and momentum shifts, Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5. It was a battle that defies accurate description and will immediately go... more »
For the first time in the Open era, which began in 1968, the same two men, Nadal and Novak Djokovic, will meet for the third consecutive time in the final of a Grand Slam tournament. If recent history is any indication, there... more »
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