Nadal pushed me to the edge, says drained Djokovic

MELBOURNE - Novak Djokovic said Rafa Nadal had pushed him to the brink of exhaustion as his weary legs held him upright just long enough to see off the Spaniard in the longest grand slam final on record.

The Serb finally prevailed 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 7-5 in five hours and 53 minutes to win the Australian Open for the third time.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates after defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain in their men's singles final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Jan 30, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

"I overcame everything, and that's the most important thing for me," Djokovic said when asked about his physical troubles that had hindered his quarter-final win over David Ferrer and semi-final defeat of Andy Murray.

"And to be able to mentally hang in there and physically, you know I mean, it was obvious on the court for everybody who has watched the match that both of us, physically, we took the last drop of energy that we had from our bodies.

"You know, I think it was just the matter of maybe luck in some moments and matter of wanting this more than maybe other player in the certain point.

"It's just an incredible effort."

Djokovic's crushing flat forehands did the trick for the world number one, allowing him to consistently drive Nadal deep behind the baseline and negate the Spaniard's stinging top-spin.

His inner strength also proved to be his trump card, something several observers felt he had been lacking in the past.

The Serb had retired in the 2006 French Open quarter-finals against Nadal when trailing by two sets and again a year later due to blisters in the Wimbledon semi-final against the same opponent.

He also failed to defend his Melbourne Park title in 2009 when he controversially pulled out of his quarter-final against Andy Roddick citing heat exhaustion on a sweltering day.

In the early hours of Monday, the steel that drove him to the world's top ranking and three grand slam titles in 2011 was evident again.

"I'm a professional tennis player. I'm sure any other colleague tennis player would say the same: we live for these matches," he added.

"We work every day. We're trying to dedicate all our life to this sport to come to the situation where we play a six hour match for a grand slam title."

Djokovic seized the one opening Nadal gave him in the fifth set. Trailing 30-15 and 3-4 in the decider, and with the crowd firmly behind the Spaniard, he rallied when the world number two missed an easy backhand down the line with the court wide open.

Sensing the slightest hint of blood, Djokovic moved in for the kill.

He picked off Nadal's serve in the 11th game to give him a 6-5 lead and while he had to fight off a break point, he sealed his third successive grand slam title with a forehand winner.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia poses with his trophy next to a clock showing the match time after his men's singles final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Jan 30, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

"I had lots of chances to finish the match in the fourth, but he came up with some incredible serves and incredible points," Djokovoic said.

"So he deserved to prolong the match in the fifth set, and then really both of us could have won the match.

"And even when I was 4-2 down I still pushed myself up to the limit."

Factbox on Novak Djokovic

Early career

* Born: Belgrade, May 22, 1987

* Began playing tennis aged four.

* His father was a professional skier and wanted his son to be a skier or professional soccer player but changed his mind when Djokovic excelled at tennis from an early age.

Making his mark

* First full year on tour in 2005, made grand slam debut as a qualifier at the Australian Open, losing to Marat Safin in the first round. Finished as the youngest player (18 years, five months) inside the top 100.

* Coached by Slovak former ATP professional Marian Vajda since 2006.

* In 2006, he won his first ATP tour title at Amersfoort, followed that with second title indoors at Metz.

Grand slam agony and ecstasy

* He retired in the 2006 French Open quarter-finals against Nadal when trailing by two sets and again a year later due to blisters in the Wimbledon semi-final against the same opponent.

* In 2007, he won five titles (Adelaide, Miami, Estoril, Montreal and Vienna), made the semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon and advanced to his first grand slam final at the US Open, losing to Roger Federer 7-6 7-6 6-4.

* Broke the Federer-Nadal grand slam duopoly by beating Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets to win his maiden major title at Melbourne Park in 2008.

* Failed to defend his title in Melbourne the following year after controversially pulling out of his quarter-final against Andy Roddick citing heat exhaustion on a sweltering day.

* Lost in the quarter-final at Melbourne Park to Tsonga in 2010 when he suffered a stomach bug.

* Upset Federer in the semi-finals of the 2010 US Open before losing in four sets to Nadal in the final.

* Led Serbia to their first Davis Cup title with victory over France in Belgrade in December, 2010.

Supern season

* Began 2011 by winning the Australian Open, beating Andy Murray in the final, to end his three-year wait for a second grand slam.

* Won his next six tournaments in Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid and Rome. He did not lose again until June 3 when Federer ended his 41-match winning streak in 2011 in the French Open semi-finals.

* Secured the number one spot on July 4 by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Wimbledon semi-finals, then beat Nadal to clinch his first Wimbledon title, his first on grass.

* Won a record fifth Masters title in a season when he won in Toronto, one of the lead-up events for the US Open.

* Saved two match points to beat Federer in the semi-finals of the US Open then defeated Nadal in the final to become just the seventh man to win three grand slams in a year since tennis turned professional in 1968.

Dominance continued

* Chose not to play any warmup events before Australian Open title defence and has been troubled with allergies and problems with his breathing throughout the tournament, notably against David Ferrer and Andy Murray.

* Looked out on his feet in his semi-final against Murray but rallied with a blistering fourth-set performance that got him back into the match.

* Won his third Australian Open title, and fifth overall to continue his dominance of the men's game, when he beat Spain's Nadal in five hours and 53 minutes.