Everything you need to know about Novak Djokovic’s record-setting seventh Australian Open title

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8:33 AM ET

MELBOURNE, Australia — Who saw that coming? Yes, most of us thought Novak Djokovic was a slight favorite to win another Australian Open title, but the manner in which he beat down Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3, in Sunday’s final was stunning.

So what does it mean? Who’s saying what? Here’s what you need to know about Djokovic’s record seventh title Down Under:

Social reaction

GOAT talk

We can’t have one of the Big Three, Djokovic, Nadal or Roger Federer, win a Grand Slam without revisiting the greatest-of-all-time discussion. It’s just the way it goes.

Everyone has an opinion, and there’s plenty of gray area when it comes to these often contentious debates, but strictly sticking to the stats, here are some notable numbers, starting with a list of the the players with the most Grand Slam titles.

But it’s important to note that Djokovic, who has won the past three majors, is only 31 years old, a full year younger than Nadal. Federer is 37 and, for what it’s worth, he has won four Slams since turning 31.

As Djokovic and, to a larger extent, Nadal spoke about after the match, health is the overarching concern to the future of their success. Nadal has a long history of injuries, but said he’s happy — “happy because he’s healthy.”

Toward the end of 2017, Djokovic took six months off to mend an elbow injury that had plagued him for some time. When he came back, it was a struggle. Djokovic lost in the first rounds of both Indian Wells and Miami before going on his latest tear. His record since the beginning of Wimbledon last year is 38-4, and that includes two wins each against Federer and Nadal.

Speaking of his rivalry against his biggest challengers, Djokovic has the edge against all.

And then there’s this stat against Nadal.

If Djokovic can win another couple of majors, those numbers should carry a lot of weight during GOAT discourse.

Aussie Open dominance

There’s something about the Australian Open for Djokovic. Here is a quick look at his reign of dominance Down Under.

Five more things to know

  • This Aussie Open final took 2 hours, 4 minutes, the shortest completed Grand Slam match between Nadal and Djokovic.

  • Djokovic is only the second man at 30 years of age or older in the Open era to win three consecutive majors, joining Rod Laver who achieved the feat when he completed the Calendar Slam in 1969.

  • Djokovic became the first man in history to record three streaks of winning three or more consecutive major titles.

  • Against Nadal on Sunday, Djokovic dropped only three points on his second serve (16-of-19).

  • For Nadal, this was the first major final he’s ever lost in straight sets.

The final word

Djokovic: “I do want to definitely focus myself on continuing to improve my game and maintaining the overall well-being that I have mental, physical, emotional, so I would be able to compete at such a high level for the years to come, and have a shot at eventually getting closer to Roger’s record.”

Nadal: “[Djokovic] was better than me tonight. That’s the sport. We can talk a lot, but when the player did almost everything better than you, you can’t complain much. The only thing that you can say is congrats to the opponent, well done.”

The final, final word

This article was originally published by Espn.com. Read the original article here.
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