It’s taken 32 years and seven months, but on January 27, 2019, Rafael Nadal was made to look old.
Nadal has always been one of, if not the best in terms of strength, speed, power and sheer force of will.
But on this day, the irrepressible Novak Djokovic made his great rival look sluggish, a distant second behind the Serb and even docile.
The rampaging, snarling Spaniard had ripped through the Australian Open draw in a way he had never done before.
Nadal was dishing out bagels, was yet to drop a set, had an improved serve and his ultra-aggressive style was paying dividends.
Many believed he would finally win a second Australian Open title – ten years after he won his solitary major Down Under.
Rafael Nadal of Spain had a great tournament – until the final. (Photo by Fred Lee/Getty Images)
But Djokovic, now a 15-time slam winner, had other ideas. He hit 34 winners, a meagre nine unforced errors and dropped just eight games to the 17-slam winner.
Rafa said it himself: “Novak played much better than me tonight.”
So how did he do it?
Simply put, Rafa had not faced anyone near the calibre of Djokovic over the last two weeks.
The first-strike tennis that Nadal was utilising so effectively for six matches either left him on Sunday or that game was neutralised in a brutal manner.
Right from the get-go, Djokovic had his man right where he wanted him.
The game plan that Rafa probably had was thrown out the window when he was broken in game two.
Nadal was never allowed to play the way he wanted to.
Djokovic took the ball early, outhit the Spaniard and at one point in the third set he had lost six points on serve. Six!
Rafa could not get into the Serb’s service games. He barely had a break point.
And the game plan? He was never allowed to play the game plan.
As a result, Rafa was made to look slower and older than ever. Nothing he could do was working. He could not impose his game on his opponent.
Under this siege, Nadal then went back to a game style that he can no longer utilise nearly as effectively as in years gone by.
That involved him standing further back and putting more height on the ball. That may work against others, but not Novak.
Novak Djokovic has progressed to the Paris quarter finals.
Nobody had dealt with Rafa’s power and attack before Sunday but Djokovic absorbed that power and from then on, the second seed was made to look devoid of ideas.
Nadal is now more aggressive than ever before, because he is a step slower, he runs out of gas sooner and he is not as consistent.
Against players other than Djokovic and maybe a handful of others, this attacking style can get the job done.
Many of the shots that Nadal hit tonight would have been a winner. But against Djokovic, you do not get that luxury. Rafa had to hit three virtual winners to finally win a solitary point.
This then leads to an increase in unforced errors as he has to take more risks. As we saw in the final, he then reverted to rallying further back behind the baseline and Djokovic just eats that up.
If Djokovic can maintain this level, Nadal is unlikely to beat him anytime soon.
At this moment in time, Nadal will just hope anyone else is on the other side of the net than Djokovic.
He can still win slams, so long as Djokovic is not there to stop him.
There is no changing of the guard, as of yet. Everyone else will have to wait their turn. Novak is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Barney
Roar Rookie
To find out how Djokovic could be beaten, you first need to find the style of player who would trouble him. Then they need to have the mental strength to execute. Yes, these players are rare. Nadal may have the mental strength but tactically, he is cannon fodder. To beat Djokovic, you either need variety at speed or consistent all round power. You cannot give Djokovic time. For the first, apart from peak Federer, sadly there’s not much out there. For the second. it is Wawrinka. Maybe Thiem and one or two of the new youngsters although they need to show the mental strength.
Barney
Roar Rookie
The head to head between Nadal and Djokovic is very misleading. Djokovic is at least 80% dominant outside clay. Yes Nadal has occasionally won (including two in the slams) but they are outliers and more a reflection of Djokovic’s mental frailties. On clay, Nadal has been dominant even though Djokovic is far more competitive on clay than Nadal is on hard court. Djokovic has beaten Nadal in every one of the lead up clay tournaments to the French. Even in Nadal’s peak years on clay, there were always dogfights with Djokovic. The last three meetings at Roland Garos, Nadal leads 2-1 and that includes a titanic 5 setter that Djokovic could easily have won. To be honest, it is amazing that Nadal has kept the head to head so close! As for Federer, I also disagree. It’s only since 2015 that I think you could say Djokovic finally subjugated him. Probably the 2015 Wimbledon was the snapping point and also around then, he started losing that extra step. Before that, Federer and Djokovic has always been the truest rivalry as tactically they were almost neck and neck on every surface. The biggest factor in Federer’s decline against Djokovic is he is no longer fast enough to play that follow up aggressive shot after his first serve. He could compensate for this against everyone else but not Djokovic.
Raimond
Roar Guru
The domination of the Big Three is one of the reasons why I've lost interest in tennis. No sport needs new blood more than this one.
Kane
Roar Guru
How many times had Federer retired mid match or pulled out of a competition?
anon
Roar Pro
Nadal's won some big matches in that span against Djokovic. Nadal went through a big form slump in 2015 I think it was where he was losing everytime to Djokovic on clay. But outside of that he's dominated Djokovic on clay.
anon
Roar Pro
I think that's Federer mate.
Kane
Roar Guru
"I think in time we will find out that Nadal had a niggle because he wasn’t generating much power from his forehand." I think in time we will find out that Nadal had a niggle because he has never lost a game while injury free. If he loses he's injured...
clipper
Roar Rookie
The h2h for Nadal Djokovic from 13-19 is 6-14, Federer Djokovic same period is 6-13, so not much difference.
anon
Roar Pro
I think Nadal won 8 games. It was a great victory by Djokovic, but Nadal's demolition of peak Federer at the 2008 French Open was on another level. Federer was never the same player after that. Nadal backed it up a month later beating Federer on his best surface.
anon
Roar Pro
Djokovic has just won 3 in 6 months. Federer is not a threat at all right now. Nadal has clearly lost a step, but can still chase balls down. Federer can't chase anything down. Federer relies heavily on his serve for cheap points. Djokovic is the best returner in the game. Even Djokovic's serve is one of the most lethal in the game now. It's so precise. Federer hasn't really had an answer for Djokovic since 2011/12. Nadal has numerous victories against Djokovic in that period, especially in majors. US Open, French Open (most people only watch two tennis tournaments per year AO and Wimbledon)
anon
Roar Pro
It's Nadal's worst major, coming off an extended injury break, playing Djokovic on his best surface. I think in time we will find out that Nadal had a niggle because he wasn't generating much power from his forehand. Djokovic is a real chance now to win all four majors this year. If he ends the year with the grand slam, then he'll have won 6 majors in a row, will be sitting on 18 major titles, will have the first grand slam since Laver, have a double career slam too, most Masters 1000 titles. By year's end it might be no longer up for debate who is the greatest ever.
CJ
Guest
Looked like he had the flu!
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
This is the first time they’ve had a slam final that was straight sets. Nadal only got 7 games. This victory was as empathetic as Nadal’s 6-1 6-3 6-0 victory over Federer in the Roland Garros final in 08. I agree Nadal matches up atrociously against Djokovic. Unless a serious injury hits Djokovic, or a young gun improves hugely (I hope this happens) I can see Djok dominating for the next year or two. Thiem could easily win Roland Garros.
Barney
Roar Rookie
I have seen many of their past encounters and numerous hard court matches away from the slams have been far from competitive. I have seen Djokovic take Nadal apart at will in a similar way but never vice versa. The patterns they played do not really change much as ultimately they can only redeploy their technical skillset so far. It’s not just the final scoreboard but the one sided natureness. The only saviour for Nadal in the distant past was his inhuman ability in the slams to maintain his incredible intensity and focus in combination with Djokovic wavering at critical moments. Djokovic reads Nadal like a book but in the past he just kept taking his eyes off some pages. Obviously even the supremacy in that mental battle changed hands. I think Nadal would be mightily relieved if a Thiem or Wawrinka took out Djokovic before the French Open final. Also, I don’t agree Djokovic is unstoppable. It’s all about matchups. Nadal is just too comfortable for Djokovic. Wawrinka, get healthy and step forward.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Djokovic has been better than Nadal on hard courts for most of the period since 2011. This was the first match that I've ever seen Nadal look listless, and hopeless, however. Djokovic has already been on a world domination run for the last 7 months.
Duncan Smith
Roar Guru
Tiddlywinks is a far harder sport than tennis. It actually takes hand eye coordination to manipulate those tiny counters. Compare that to some buffoon hitting a ball with a racquet the size of a coffee table. A child of ten holding one of those could now beat Bjorn Borg, who won Wimbledon five times in a row with a tiny racquet made of paddlepop sticks and used guitar strings. On your bike, Nadal, and take your silly little shorts with you.
Dutski
Roar Guru
Lol. Feel better? Rafa is here for a bit, so hold onto that feeling for a while...
Peter
Guest
Seriously? What are you a "guru" in? Tiddlywinks? If you really believe what you've posted here, you should be defrocked immediately.
Barney
Roar Rookie
There is too much overreading in much of the casual general analysis of this result. Djokovic thrashing Nadal does not mean Djokovic is about to go on another world domination run. It does not also mean Nadal is in his final days. After all, he had earlier easily dispatched one young pretender after another. It just simply means Djokovic is a far superior tennis player than Nadal on hard courts. Period. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nadal dismantled Tsitsipas. Yet Tsitsipas probably had a greater chance of beating Djokovic. If that makes sense then you understand tennis. Furthermore, if one has been watching the historic trends of their hardcourt encounters then one would have seen Djokovic do this to Nadal countless times albeit never in a slam. The point is Djokovic has always had the perfect anti Nadal game and it’s more or less always come down to his execution. This time he definitely executed Nadal.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Nadal had a lot of winners retrieved by De Minaur, he didn't hit many against Djokovic , and Djokovic retreived few of the ones he did hit. The big difference the heavy topspin straight at the other players and they would struggle to hit it back effectively giving Nadal the upper hand. Djokovic returned it with interest. Djokovic looks like he is struggling physically when he has to slide to reach the ball so Nadal needs to go for flatter shots and get Djokovic stretching for the ball., in addition to serving better, and not makingas many errors to have a chance.