Australian Open<\/a> for the eighth time. He overcame a determined effort from Dominic Thiem to prevail 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday evening.<\/strong><\/p>\nNovak put Thiem under pressure from the beginning. He broke in the second game and consolidated it for 3-0 lead. The Austrian fought back in the seventh game, but Djokovic converted another chance in the 10th and wrapped it up when Thiem double-faulted.<\/p>\n
The momentum of the match swung to no.5 seed in the second set. He went on a run of six straight games from 4-4 in the second, to 4-0 in the third set, and took a two-sets-to-one lead.<\/p>\n
Djokovic kept fighting and managed to convert his break point opportunity in the eighth game of the fourth set, then closed it out with a hold to love, to force a decider.<\/p>\n
The 32-year-old Belgrade native played his best tennis when it mattered most. He made a crucial break in the third game of the fifth set and kept the advantage until the end to secure his 78th career title.<\/p>\n
Novak capitalised on five of his 12 break points, the same as his rival, and won 24 of his 29 points at the net. He improved to a perfect 13-0 record on the season.<\/p>\n
Djokovic and Thiem met for the 11th time, the Serb now leads their H2H series 7-4.<\/p>\n
“I would like to start by saying congratulations to Dominic for an amazing tournament,”<\/strong> said Novak, during the on-court ceremony. “It wasn\u2019t meant to be tonight. Tough luck and it was a tough match, but you were very close to winning it. You definitely have a lot more time in your career and I\u2019m sure that you will get one of the Grand Slam trophies, more than one. This tournament sets a high standard for all the other tournaments around the world and it’s definitely my favourite court, my favourite stadium in the world. I\u2019m blessed to hold this trophy once again.”<\/strong><\/p>\n