Melbourne: A turning point of the longest men's final ever at a Grand Slam came when 10-time Major winner Rafael Nadal went for a bit too much on a backhand after more than 5 hours on court.
Novak Djokovic outlasted Nadal over 5 hours, 53 minutes to win a third Australian Open title, finishing off the 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 win at 1:37am on Monday.
It evoked memories of his Wimbledon final against Roger Federer, which was equally dramatic and tense, though not nearly as long. The Spaniard finished off Federer in a paltry 4 hours, 48 minutes.
But it could have been so different on Sunday.
At 30-15 in the seventh game of the fifth set, top-ranked Djokovic was almost exhausted and didn't even try to continue the point when Nadal lined up a backhand with the court wide open, and skewed it slightly wide down the line.
Nobody could quite believe it - Nadal challenged the out call, but really only to regroup his thoughts. Instead of moving ahead 40-15, one point away from a 5-2 lead in the fifth set, the game score became 30-30. Djokovic won the next two points and regained the momentum.
"It's true I had big mistake with 30-15," Nadal said. "But it's not moment to think about that. That's another just moment in an almost six hours match. Forget about that knowing that I really had real, very real chances to have the title and to win against a player who I lost (to) six times last year."
"But I didn't. I never put him in this situation during 2011, all 2011, so that's another positive thing for me."
Nadal has now lost seven straight finals to Djokovic, including the last three Majors. No other man has lost the finals at three consecutive Majors. Nadal didn't see Sunday's loss as a negative.
"I didn't have mental problems today against him," Nadal said. "I had in 2011 all these mental problems. Today I didn't have. I compete with normal conditions against him, no? So that's another positive thing. Probably never say that many positive things after I lose."
Nadal came to the Australian Open in 2011 aiming for a "Rafa Slam" after winning the French, Wimbledon and US Open titles in 2010. He was eliminated in the quarter-finals. At the French Open, Djokovic has the chance to win four consecutive Majors, something no man has done since Rod Laver completed the Grand Slam in 1969.
Nearly four years ago, Rafael Nadal was on the winning end of another epic Major final - a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7 victory over Federer at Wimbledon in 2008.
He says he ranks his five-set loss to Djokovic in the Australian Open final alongside that Wimbledon match as two of the most memorable he has ever played.
"For me it was a little bit more special, the 2008 (Wimbledon final)," Nadal said with a smile at his post-match news conference. "But I really understand that (tonight) was a really special match, and probably a match that gonna be in my mind not because I lost, no, because the way that we played."
"That means that I did a lot of things well to compete against best players of the world and winning on them, losing on them, but always having tough matches. And final 2008 Wimbledon and this one was very special."
Just because it was special, though, doesn't mean Nadal wants to ever sit through it again. When asked if he'd ever watch the match on video, he replied: "Too long. Highlights only."
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