Novak Djokovic continued his dominance in Melbourne Park after sealing his third consecutive Australian Open title by overwhelming an irritated Daniil Medvedev to win a record ninth men’s title.
Top seed Djokovic won 7-5 6-2 6-2 to claim his 18th Grand Slam, leaving him two behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the men’s record books.
The 33-year-old Serb has never lost a final at Melbourne Park, while Russian fourth seed Medvedev has lost both of his Grand Slam finals.
After collecting the trophy, Djokovic told the Rod Laver Arena: “I love you each year more and more. The love affair keeps going.”
After losing to Nadal in the 2019 US Open final, the Russian was tipped to push Djokovic close and win his maiden major.
Medvedev had reached the Melbourne final on the back of a 20-match winning streak, but floundered under the intense pressure applied by Djokovic.
Throwing racquets, poor body language and shouting angrily at his team were an illustration of how the Russian imploded in the third set, contrasting starkly with Djokovic’s confident and steely exterior.
Djokovic clinched the title after one hour and 53 minutes with a backhand overhead volley, falling to the blue court on his back before lapping up the acclaim of the crowd on Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic roared loudly and tapped his heart, before exchanging hugs with coach Goran Ivanisevic and the rest of his support team.
After thinking an abdominal injury earlier in the tournament might scupper his chances, the pride and relief of Team Djokovic was clear in their celebrations.