29/01/2012

:00:36. > :00:41.In the early 80s, it was Bjorn Borg versus John McEnroe, with 18 Grand

:00:41. > :00:47.Slam titles. On to the 90s, it was these two Americans with

:00:47. > :00:54.contrasting styles, Sampras and Agassi, who collected two -- 22

:00:54. > :00:59.majors. But with 26 Grand Slam titles to their names, is Nadal

:00:59. > :01:05.versus Federer the Greatest rivalry of them all? Or is it about to be

:01:05. > :01:10.overshadowed by a new chapter? Nadal versus Federer has been

:01:10. > :01:15.littered with thrilling contests, but age is not one Federer's side,

:01:15. > :01:23.and so does his semi-final defeat to Nadal this week mark the end of

:01:23. > :01:31.an era, and herald the arrival of a new one? Step forward, Novak

:01:31. > :01:35.Djokovic. World number one, winner of the past two Grand Slams,

:01:35. > :01:39.beating world number 2 Rafael Nadal in both finals. As Djokovic goes

:01:39. > :01:45.for his third straight major title, with only Nadal standing in his way,

:01:45. > :01:48.this is the current great rivalry in tennis. Their matches may lack

:01:48. > :01:53.the subtlety and variation of the Swiss master, but they more than

:01:53. > :02:00.make up for it in power and intensity. Wonderful as it has been,

:02:00. > :02:10.it seems as though Federer versus Nadal is yesterday's news. Novak

:02:10. > :02:12.

:02:12. > :02:16.Djokovic versus Rafael Nadal, read Since the Open era began in 1968,

:02:16. > :02:22.never have the same two players met in three consecutive Grand Slam

:02:22. > :02:26.finals, until now. Djokovic and Nadal had to dig deep to get there.

:02:26. > :02:33.John and Andrew are with me. What about this rivalry? Physically,

:02:33. > :02:38.mentally, these guys are so tough. They are. We really need a Nadal

:02:38. > :02:42.win, because Djokovic has got this winning record against him, but

:02:42. > :02:46.potentially it could be unbelievable. They are such great

:02:46. > :02:50.athletes and amazing players, let's hope that Nadal start winning some

:02:50. > :02:55.of these matches so it can be a real rivalry. I don't think Nadal

:02:56. > :03:00.has thought about too much other than Djokovic over the last few

:03:00. > :03:05.months since September's US Open final. That was a bruising

:03:05. > :03:12.encounter. I don't think anybody could have thought that Djokovic

:03:12. > :03:16.could keep -- big deep again. As a physical encounter, it was like a

:03:17. > :03:21.top middleweight boxing match from the old days. They were just

:03:22. > :03:29.unbelievable and Djokovic tips on finding new reserves and resilience

:03:29. > :03:34.-- keeps on finding. For Nadal, he is a pain. He certainly is! We will

:03:34. > :03:37.wonder how much pain Djokovic is in, we will find out later. We are

:03:37. > :03:41.celebrating 100 years of the Australian Open, and they are

:03:41. > :03:48.celebrating it down there on Centre Court. There are a couple of very

:03:48. > :03:57.familiar faces, isn't it lovely to see them on Centre Court? Reunited

:03:57. > :04:01.in a major stadium against. The these two guys, they had the 19

:04:01. > :04:06.Grand Slam titles between them. Rod Laver, up 11, Rosewall with eight.

:04:06. > :04:11.Talk about rivalries, that was a special one. It was unbelievable,

:04:11. > :04:15.and the most modest champion that ever lived, this man. The Rocket,

:04:15. > :04:20.the most popular man in Australian sports history, I think, and he

:04:20. > :04:28.deserves it. He is an unbelievable gentlemen, and what a player.

:04:28. > :04:32.McEnroe's Hero. And so many people's heroes. Roger Federer

:04:32. > :04:37.called him Mr Labour, Djokovic called in Mr Laver. Victoria

:04:37. > :04:43.Azarenka said the biggest role of the day when she won her semi-final

:04:43. > :04:46.was to see Rod Laver walking by. This is the impact he had. He laid

:04:46. > :04:49.the foundation for the modern game. He was one of the most graceful

:04:49. > :04:57.champions of all time. Have a look back at some clubs and you'll see

:04:57. > :05:02.what we are on about. The -- at some clips. The lovely backhand was

:05:02. > :05:12.second to none. He was one of the first one to came over the ball.

:05:12. > :05:17.

:05:17. > :05:25.Look at this array of champions, Kenny looked bigger when he was on

:05:25. > :05:32.the court down the road! Was that Mark Edmondson? And Bill Bowery,

:05:32. > :05:36.yes. Wonderful to see them. As far as Federer and Nadal are concerned,

:05:36. > :05:38.we talked about their rivalry and we talked about their rivalry and

:05:38. > :05:44.we never thought we would see anything to challenge that.

:05:44. > :05:48.certainly didn't. This is amazing. The epic matches that they had.

:05:48. > :05:55.They have been a joy to watch. Are we going to see that many more of

:05:55. > :05:59.them? Doubtful. There might be a couple left in them, but they have

:05:59. > :06:06.been so great for the game. This was the first time they had been in

:06:06. > :06:10.the same half of a Grand Slam since 2005 so they had to play a semis,

:06:10. > :06:13.normally they play all these finals. It is now a very long time since

:06:13. > :06:17.Federer defeated Nadal in a Grand Federer defeated Nadal in a Grand

:06:17. > :06:20.Slam, and he has only ever beaten him at Wimbledon, of the four Grand

:06:20. > :06:24.Slams. Given the difference in ages and the rest of it, we are not

:06:24. > :06:29.taking away from Federer's greatness, but he is world number 3

:06:29. > :06:39.now. I think there is a distinct gap between the top two and the

:06:39. > :06:40.

:06:40. > :06:43.second to. -- second two. Nadal was almost writing of his chances. You

:06:43. > :06:48.thought there would be a big shift in power because Murray was going

:06:48. > :06:52.to come out firing, he very nearly did. Federer was in some ways, one

:06:52. > :06:58.of the big favourite to win the tournament. He was. Rafa did the

:06:58. > :07:01.psychological stuff saying, I don't expect too much, Roger is the

:07:01. > :07:06.favourite in the semi-finals. He prove that wrong. He is saying the

:07:06. > :07:10.same thing about Djokovic. Saying that he has been obsessed with

:07:10. > :07:14.playing Djokovic, that he has a new plan of attack in more but he is

:07:14. > :07:18.not ready yet. He is saying that nonsense what a don't believe for a

:07:18. > :07:23.minute, but great rivalries. But he was lucky, to be on the court at

:07:23. > :07:29.all, Nadal. He was in his hotel room and his need locked up. For 24

:07:29. > :07:33.hours they worked on it and tried to enable him to beat mobile again.

:07:33. > :07:40.He did not think he would take to the court but six matches later,

:07:40. > :07:50.here we are, he has buried. manner in which he has won -- he

:07:50. > :07:52.

:07:52. > :07:56.On a grass court, it is going to be 55-45 in favour of Nadal, probably.

:07:56. > :08:00.He is third favourite for that. Federer played his heart out in the

:08:00. > :08:03.semi-final and lost. Nadal was special in that match, I cannot see

:08:03. > :08:07.how Djokovic can keep on running against the Nadal forehand

:08:07. > :08:12.particularly, and the mobility, but he probably will and prove everyone

:08:12. > :08:14.wrong again. These two have met many times, including the last year,

:08:14. > :08:17.many times, including the last year, one of the most memorable was

:08:17. > :08:23.Wimbledon last year. Djokovic achieved his life's ambition, to

:08:23. > :08:27.come to Wimbledon and lift the trophy. How nice does this look,

:08:27. > :08:35.green court, no hoarding, and a wonderful triumph for Djokovic.

:08:35. > :08:40.This was extraordinary. He upped his game again. I don't know how he

:08:40. > :08:50.keeps on doing it. He looks sort of unspectacular whilst he is being

:08:50. > :08:51.

:08:51. > :08:55.brilliant, and delivering a dreaming about tennis, watching

:08:55. > :08:59.Wimbledon, growing up that -- knowing that this was the

:08:59. > :09:04.tournament, and we here it from so many people. He just dug deep,

:09:04. > :09:11.because he didn't have a great head-to-head with Nadal, going into

:09:11. > :09:13.2011. No, amazing he -- how he has turned that around. Only a few

:09:13. > :09:16.turned that around. Only a few years ago, there were question

:09:16. > :09:21.marks about Djokovic, Roger Federer said a couple of things about him

:09:21. > :09:25.in the press and a lot of people thought that maybe he was looking

:09:25. > :09:29.for excuses. He has proved that wrong. Last year was a joke, what

:09:29. > :09:36.he did. One of the great years in tennis history again some of the

:09:36. > :09:41.greatest players of all time, and he dominated tennis. He was 70-6

:09:41. > :09:46.for the year, 70 victories and six losses. Four of those six losses

:09:46. > :09:49.came after the US Open, when he has probably mentally checked out, with

:09:49. > :09:54.the greatest of respect to the World Tour Finals. When the Grand

:09:54. > :09:59.Slams are over, I think he is allowed to take the key out of the

:09:59. > :10:06.ignition and wrest the engine. That is an amazing year, up there with

:10:06. > :10:11.84 for John McEnroe. To win three of the four Grand Slams, having

:10:11. > :10:17.been the third best player, how be elevated himself, I have no idea. I

:10:17. > :10:21.guess this is the most important base in challenge -- in tennis.

:10:21. > :10:26.Through the year, he won all six meetings with Rafa, what bearing

:10:26. > :10:29.will that have? That is the whole key, 6 in a row that Nadal has lost

:10:29. > :10:35.to him and psychologically, that's a huge. He has been obsessed with

:10:35. > :10:38.pimple but he says he is not quite ready in his game with his plan --

:10:38. > :10:43.he has been obsessed with him. He has been thinking about Djokovic

:10:43. > :10:49.since he lost that match last year, thinking of ways to take him on

:10:49. > :10:53.mentally and physically, I believe he will be totally ready. You have

:10:53. > :10:57.Federer trying to find a solution to get through Nadal, which is fun

:10:57. > :11:02.because he is 30 and he is trying to find something new. You have

:11:02. > :11:05.Nadal, out of nowhere, finding a solution to Djokovic. In the middle,

:11:05. > :11:09.Murray trying to find a solution to this whole thing about whether he

:11:09. > :11:14.can win a Grand Slam or not. There are a number of captivating angles

:11:15. > :11:20.in men's tennis at the moment. This rivalry, Djokovic-Nadal, it could

:11:20. > :11:24.be around for a rival -- a while. They already sniping at each other,

:11:24. > :11:29.Rafa going on about the breathing problems that Djokovic had against

:11:29. > :11:32.Andy Murray. He said, at two sets down I went out for dinner and

:11:32. > :11:38.Djokovic was struggling to breathe, I come back two hours late and he

:11:38. > :11:41.is playing better than ever. He thought he was down and out. He --

:11:41. > :11:45.the 5th set was the best that he played. A couple of times it looked

:11:45. > :11:51.like he was down and out. I don't buy that stuff when he does it.

:11:51. > :11:55.don't think he is faking it. I think he is hurting. You engage the

:11:55. > :12:00.mind when you're having to dig deep, like climbing a mountain or

:12:00. > :12:06.whatever... I haven't done that by the! If you -- haven't done that

:12:06. > :12:10.either! If you are down, you have a very clear path to follow. You have

:12:10. > :12:14.to concentrate on achieving it. The pain is definitely there for

:12:14. > :12:18.Djokovic in these rallies. You cannot play 30-40 shot rallies

:12:18. > :12:21.covering the sort of distance is that they are, at full sprint and

:12:21. > :12:26.under control, without being exhausted. These are the fittest

:12:26. > :12:30.men who have ever played the game. But nothing seems to be able to

:12:30. > :12:33.knock them out, that is the remarkable thing. Federer looks a

:12:33. > :12:38.third of the pace slower than the other guys around the court.

:12:38. > :12:42.Amazing. Never thought I would see it. We are talking about Djokovic

:12:42. > :12:52.and Murray, for those of you who didn't see it, let's enjoy some of

:12:52. > :13:14.

:13:14. > :13:21.# I'm running out of battery. # The tears you cry are only meant

:13:21. > :13:27.to flatter me. Oh, this is fantastic. Ivan Lendl, giving it

:13:27. > :13:37.the come on! # Watching the wheels go round and

:13:37. > :13:56.

:13:56. > :14:06.Have you seen anything like that before? Come on, this is an epic

:14:06. > :14:09.

:14:09. > :14:19.match. One of the best matches I # Because it's got no meaning.

:14:19. > :14:32.

:14:32. > :14:36.Yes, it was frustrating, demoralising for Murray to come so

:14:36. > :14:40.close to a Grand Slam final yet again, but it was also incredibly

:14:40. > :14:44.encouraging as well, because at last, he did look like a Grand Slam

:14:44. > :14:48.chipping in waiting. It was the manner in which he went about his

:14:48. > :14:53.business which was impressive. The bottom line is he had break points

:14:53. > :14:58.to go up in the 5th and he lost it. The same question, when the

:14:58. > :15:03.euphoria about the contest has died down, was always around, the same

:15:03. > :15:09.question remains, can he do it? Because he hasn't yet. But I am not

:15:09. > :15:15.taking anything away from the performance, it was stunning. About

:15:15. > :15:19.it. He was calm, he gave himself the best opportunity to win. If he

:15:20. > :15:25.continues to do that, he has got to win one of the things. He has had

:15:25. > :15:32.so much success, no one has worked harder. He has Lendl on board, it

:15:32. > :15:35.could be his year, we have said it before, but it could be. Ivan Lendl

:15:35. > :15:40.has certainly made an impact in three weeks. He is attacking more,

:15:40. > :15:44.which is what I know you have been saying for many years. There are

:15:44. > :15:48.two things I have been saying, the attacking and the mental side. The

:15:48. > :15:53.mental side is more key than the attacking. I think Lendl has to

:15:53. > :15:58.take a lot of credit, more credit to marry for implementing that, and

:15:59. > :16:06.keeping his mind together. He has only just started this relationship

:16:06. > :16:13.soap by the French and Wimbledon... I thought he won't win one because

:16:13. > :16:21.of his mind but it looks like he has corrected that. We wish Murray

:16:21. > :16:29.well and we wish these two well as well. Rafa with his superstitions,

:16:29. > :16:35.he carries his racket. These two are two Gladiators and isn't the

:16:35. > :16:39.game privilege to have them at the top? It is. It is interesting,

:16:40. > :16:45.Nadal is leading them out. He is coming out there first. It is

:16:45. > :16:49.tempting to read too much into this but this is the nervous walk with

:16:49. > :16:53.the men's champions on the left, the women's on the right. You can

:16:53. > :16:57.actually smell the court as you get closer to it. It is concrete

:16:57. > :17:07.walkways underneath the stadium, you go down some steps and on to

:17:07. > :17:07.

:17:07. > :17:13.the court service. -- surface. The smell of a Grand Slam title with

:17:13. > :17:18.the nerves that go with it! Thank you, Andrew. We will stand by for

:17:18. > :17:23.the announcements on to court as Rafa goes on to court, he looks

:17:23. > :17:28.like a boxer coming out for a world title bout, he is coming out to try

:17:28. > :17:38.to win another Grand Slam title. Rafael Nadal!

:17:38. > :17:43.

:17:43. > :17:48.Such a popular champion, he will have his supporters out there.

:17:48. > :17:58.Novak Djokovic has won so many fans in the past year.

:17:58. > :17:59.

:18:00. > :18:04.What a treat for the thousands lucky enough to have a ticket for

:18:04. > :18:10.this final. I suppose with the top four, any final will be terrific.

:18:10. > :18:13.Djokovic, we will be keeping an eye on his fitness. We know that Rafa

:18:14. > :18:18.has had his injuries, his knee is taped up and he has all sorts of

:18:18. > :18:22.problems. Rafa has also said that he has learnt from last year and he

:18:22. > :18:28.will attack more today. That is what he has been saying. He had to

:18:28. > :18:31.do something, he has lost six-times in a row. He is saying he is not

:18:31. > :18:36.quite the finished product yet, but he knows what he has to do to beat

:18:36. > :18:43.Novak Djokovic. If I think the crowd will be slightly favouring

:18:43. > :18:48.Nadal, simply because of his record, going in at 6-0 against him, I

:18:48. > :18:54.think they feel he is the underdog here and this is the man to beat. I

:18:55. > :18:59.think the crowd will be on Nadal's side. The fitness side of Djokovic,

:18:59. > :19:05.they have never played a five-set match against each other, by the

:19:05. > :19:09.way. They have never gone to a 5th set. This may be the one.

:19:09. > :19:14.Physically, you would have to favour Nadal, you would think, but

:19:14. > :19:24.in 2009, Nadal beat Verdasco in the five-hour epic match and came back

:19:24. > :19:25.

:19:25. > :19:29.and beat Roger Federer in another epic match, so it can be done.

:19:29. > :19:38.Rougher has some writing on his hands, he is going to tell himself

:19:38. > :19:44.what to do as he goes through the Fitness is really going to be a

:19:44. > :19:48.factor. The game has changed so much in just the past three to four

:19:48. > :19:53.years, first of all with Federer but then particularly with these

:19:53. > :19:57.guys. Any kid learning the game now knows that you have to be almost

:19:57. > :20:01.superhuman to get to the top of the game. You only have to have seen

:20:01. > :20:09.the rallies that we saw in the semi-finals. Going back to marry

:20:09. > :20:19.Ann Djokovic -- Murray and Djokovic, these rallies are not occasional,

:20:19. > :20:27.

:20:27. > :20:37.UMPIRE: Do you have any questions? No, we have been there before! You

:20:37. > :20:38.

:20:38. > :20:48.call, you call! Mason, 10 years old, he is doing the toss. Djokovic is

:20:48. > :20:57.

:20:57. > :21:02.There we go. He is ready for battle, and boy, is he ready to win a Grand

:21:02. > :21:06.Slam title again, this man? He is so ready. Can you imagine? For

:21:06. > :21:13.someone like Rafa Nadal to have last six times in a row to someone,

:21:13. > :21:16.it must kill him mentally. -- to have lost six-times. He is trying

:21:16. > :21:21.to ease off the pressure by saying he is not quite ready but don't

:21:21. > :21:24.believe that for one second. He is so ready, it is frightening. Novak

:21:24. > :21:30.is in physically great shape, he knows what he will have to do today.

:21:30. > :21:35.He will have to wear down no doubt. There is no easy way to beat Nadal.

:21:35. > :21:40.They are going to play 15, 20 shot rallies over and over again, it is

:21:41. > :21:44.going to be magnificent. Rafa says he wants to attack, but he has got

:21:44. > :21:48.to be a little bit careful because he is going away from what is

:21:48. > :21:52.natural to him. That is exactly right. You go out of your comfort

:21:52. > :21:56.zone, and you have got to be careful. The unforced errors will

:21:57. > :22:02.start to go up. He has got to gauge it right between going for winners,

:22:02. > :22:06.and also how many errors. Nadal is very aggressive but very few

:22:06. > :22:10.unforced errors. If that starts lifting up, he has got to get the

:22:10. > :22:17.balance right, that is the whole thing about how he takes a hold of

:22:17. > :22:21.this match. As far as Djokovic goes, the fitness side of it, but he has

:22:21. > :22:27.absolutely no weaknesses any more. After last year, he just corrected

:22:27. > :22:32.everything. One of the things that Djokovic knows with Nadal, one of

:22:32. > :22:37.the big things is the forehand. We have seen the forehand off Nadal

:22:38. > :22:41.against Federer, he gets him out wide, he gets it up high, it hurts

:22:41. > :22:45.Federer's backhand. Djokovic is so quick, his defensive play is so

:22:45. > :22:50.good that he can get out wide to those big forehands and return it

:22:50. > :22:54.with interest. Nadal has struggled to hurt him, and Novak knows that.

:22:54. > :22:58.He has got the game to beat Nadal, he has beaten him so many times now.

:22:58. > :23:04.It is tough on the dull to find a way to get through his defences

:23:04. > :23:09.because this man is so quick -- it is tough on Nadal. No one plays

:23:10. > :23:13.better defensive tennis than Djokovic. We used to think that

:23:13. > :23:19.Rafa Nadal was superhuman but Djokovic has taken it to a new

:23:19. > :23:24.level. He is like rubber out there. He goes for a wide ball, what he's

:23:24. > :23:30.doing to his body to get out there... Not only does he stretch

:23:30. > :23:34.and slight, he get to it and does damage with that shot. He puts Rafa

:23:34. > :23:38.right back on the defensive again. It is remarkable, what an athlete.

:23:39. > :23:43.They are both incredible but Djokovic, for me, is the best

:23:43. > :23:47.athlete on the tour. Murray has done everything he can, he is now

:23:47. > :23:51.attacking, tried to break the stranglehold that these two have on

:23:51. > :23:57.the game. Federer is looking a little bit slow, you wonder how

:23:58. > :24:02.long these two are going to stay at the top and how many finals these

:24:02. > :24:09.two are going to have, if this man can stay fit enough for-that is the

:24:09. > :24:13.question, we have seen this over the years about his knee. He says

:24:13. > :24:16.there are no worries. He keeps there are no worries. He keeps

:24:16. > :24:21.himself in such good shape. This could turn out to be a great

:24:21. > :24:25.rivalry but we need Rafa to win one or two, to get it going. It is only

:24:25. > :24:30.a matter of time, this man is too much of a champion to keep losing

:24:30. > :24:34.to Novak Djokovic. He will find a way, somehow. Well today be the

:24:34. > :24:39.time? I am slightly favouring him to win this match, but I wouldn't

:24:39. > :24:44.put too much money on it. I think we are in for the long-haul, with

:24:44. > :24:50.this one. The fact that Rafa is injured, and Djokovic, they have

:24:50. > :24:55.had those long matches, we go back to the beginning of the tournament.

:24:55. > :24:59.I love Rafa's statement about Federer, saying that when he is 50,

:24:59. > :25:03.he is going to still be super-fit, he said he is going to be an

:25:03. > :25:07.absolute wreck. Because what he put his body through is far more,

:25:07. > :25:12.Federer is effortless but Rafa has to work incredibly hard. Federer

:25:12. > :25:16.gets a lot more cheap points, he wins the rallies quicker. Federer

:25:16. > :25:22.has had almost no injuries in his whole career, because of the way he

:25:22. > :25:27.moves and strikes the ball, it is remarkable. Even went Nadal wins in

:25:27. > :25:36.straight sets, it is still a long match because she has to grind out

:25:36. > :25:39.the points -- even when Nadal. When he is 50, or he will have had about

:25:39. > :25:45.two knee replacements and two hip replacements and who knows what

:25:45. > :25:49.else! This guy was always super-fit and the difference was, he turned

:25:49. > :25:53.himself around mentally. He was sometimes fragile court, and with

:25:53. > :25:58.the medical problems he had. We wondered if he would have the

:25:58. > :26:02.mental strength to be able to be a champion. He almost changed it in a

:26:02. > :26:06.few months. It is the most remarkable thing, how he changed at

:26:06. > :26:12.around. A lot of players including Federer doubted that he could do

:26:12. > :26:15.that. Mentally, he suddenly changed it around. That must give a lot of

:26:15. > :26:17.credit to... Andy Murray must look at the way Djokovic has done this

:26:17. > :26:21.and think, why shouldn't he do and think, why shouldn't he do

:26:21. > :26:23.that? Because mentally, Djokovic that? Because mentally, Djokovic

:26:23. > :26:28.has turned himself around totally, has turned himself around totally,

:26:28. > :26:30.in such a short space of time. in such a short space of time.

:26:30. > :26:33.is always important to practise, is always important to practise,

:26:33. > :26:35.but look at that, it is much warmer but look at that, it is much warmer

:26:35. > :26:40.than yesterday. It will be cooling down as the evening progresses in

:26:40. > :26:44.Melbourne. Important to get a good practise before and I hear that

:26:44. > :26:54.Novak Djokovic is practising with a young bride, Liam Broady, and we

:26:54. > :26:55.

:26:55. > :27:00.know why. -- a young Brit. He is a left-hander. Absolutely. Liam won

:27:00. > :27:02.the junior boys' doubles. They the junior boys' doubles. They

:27:02. > :27:06.often hit with the young Brits at the Grand Slams. The juniors are

:27:06. > :27:09.very fortunate, you have to remember that everyone else has

:27:10. > :27:12.left the tournament so there are not many people around. Imagine

:27:12. > :27:15.warming up with Novak Djokovic, warming up with Novak Djokovic,

:27:15. > :27:18.what a thrill for Liam to do that, he would have learnt a lot just in

:27:18. > :27:21.he would have learnt a lot just in 30 minutes. We all go back to when

:27:21. > :27:28.we were juniors and had the chance to play the all-time greats. You

:27:28. > :27:32.really do learn. These guys are in for end absolute treat. -- an

:27:32. > :27:37.absolute treat. They may be there for some time. Not only is it a

:27:37. > :27:42.long match, but they take their time, these two. Absolutely, Rafa

:27:42. > :27:47.has not improved with the time he takes between points. Novak as the

:27:47. > :27:51.match gets tighter, he bounces the ball more often on the serve. Even

:27:51. > :27:54.if it is straight sets, it will still be long. The start maybe a

:27:54. > :27:58.bit long because Rafa has to get his bottles ready and sort himself

:27:58. > :28:03.out, but we are ready for the battle and we are looking forward

:28:03. > :28:06.to this final. Djokovic against Nadal. John, you are going to the

:28:06. > :28:16.commentary box, I will hand you over to Andrew Castle. Who are you

:28:16. > :28:21.picking? ANDREW CASTLE: I think Nadal is probably desperate to win

:28:21. > :28:25.this Norman Brookes Challenge Cup again. I would pick him to go

:28:25. > :28:29.through, but we are not the once out there. I think he is going to

:28:29. > :28:33.give it all here. It will be very interesting to see if his defensive

:28:33. > :28:36.capabilities, and there are so many of them, can actually rebuff some

:28:36. > :28:42.of the attacking possibilities from Djokovic, especially on the

:28:42. > :28:47.backhand side where he hits flat. He is troubled and rushed Nadal so

:28:47. > :28:52.many times in these last few matches. Fascinating, all will be

:28:52. > :29:02.revealed. Best of five sets for the Australian Open, Djokovic serving

:29:02. > :29:02.

:29:02. > :29:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:29:59. > :30:04.Sue Barker, mentioning Liam Broady's victory in the boys'

:30:04. > :30:12.doubles alongside Josh Ward Hibbard, they also made the quarter-finals -

:30:12. > :30:17.- he also made the quarter-finals of the singles. More British

:30:17. > :30:27.success at Grand Slam will, things are looking better. -- Grand Slam

:30:27. > :30:27.

:30:27. > :31:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:31:31. > :31:37.There is this flat ball from Djokovic that goes through the

:31:37. > :31:43.court with that extra pace, it rushes past an opponent, to the

:31:43. > :31:53.forehand side. No doubt can sometimes leave that side open. But

:31:53. > :32:18.

:32:18. > :32:24.it has to be a special shot to get Nadal has added a few grams of

:32:24. > :32:30.weight via LED paper to the top of his racket. -- LED paper. Even a

:32:30. > :32:40.move like that caused a stir in the world of tennis. We will talk about

:32:40. > :32:59.

:32:59. > :33:04.why he has done that at the end of Fabulous change up on the second

:33:04. > :33:10.serve from Djokovic, and the world a bumble want and reigning champion

:33:11. > :33:16.makes the perfect start. -- a world No. 1. He knows that Nadal is

:33:16. > :33:24.looking to move to his right and hit that forehand. The so there is

:33:24. > :33:27.more weight on the Djokovic racket, I mean that the Nadal racket.

:33:27. > :33:32.little bit more heavy, a little bit more off the ball with the ground

:33:32. > :33:36.strokes. It is a big change. People don't think about it, but it is a

:33:36. > :33:42.big change for someone to do that and he has done it with the off

:33:42. > :33:51.season. With a view to what? A heavier bore, a bit more pace of

:33:51. > :33:54.the racket. -- ball. It is all too beat this man from the other side

:33:54. > :34:04.of the net, he can beat everybody else but he hasn't found a way to

:34:04. > :34:35.

:34:35. > :34:39.Nadal's serve was broken 12 times in four set by Djokovic in the US

:34:39. > :34:45.Open final, their most recent Grand Slam contest. In the six matches

:34:45. > :34:55.previous to that, he had only lost his serve five times, so Djokovic's

:34:55. > :35:14.

:35:14. > :35:17.Agassi, Jimmy Connors, these other people talk about as the best

:35:17. > :35:27.returners in their game but it is quite possible we are looking at

:35:27. > :36:00.

:36:00. > :36:10.The man who has the arena named after him, the official name

:36:10. > :36:28.

:36:28. > :36:33.A good snap on those first serves by Nadal, he got the ace which was

:36:33. > :36:40.nice for him, but some extra pace, trying to get Djokovic into

:36:40. > :36:48.defensive positions, get a few free points. Rod Laver has as stadium

:36:48. > :36:55.named after him, Rafa Nadal has his own shoes. -- a stadium. Back in

:36:55. > :37:05.the days of Rob Labour, there weren't big endorsements -- of Rod

:37:05. > :37:22.

:37:22. > :37:30.Laver. You had to be careful in A even though Djokovic lost that

:37:30. > :37:35.rally, and it is one of those places he gives Nadal so much

:37:35. > :37:41.trouble. Nadal hit that fantastic cross-court and Djokovic gets on

:37:41. > :37:44.top of it and hit it back no problem and normally that shot

:37:44. > :37:49.causes his opponent's problems. Djokovic has the power and pace to

:37:49. > :37:59.get out there and return it with interest. Such a sound technique on

:37:59. > :38:16.

:38:16. > :38:20.I think that is also going to be a crucial shark, -- shot, the

:38:20. > :38:25.forehand from Nadal, but I think he will have to go down the line

:38:25. > :38:32.behind his man much more that he is used to. When he get any type of

:38:32. > :38:42.opening it, he has to slam that forehand down the line. -- type of

:38:42. > :38:42.

:38:42. > :39:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:39:38. > :39:45.UMPIRE: Nadal is challenging the call. There was no other role from

:39:45. > :39:55.the umpire, but with good reason, the ball was good.

:39:55. > :40:23.

:40:23. > :40:31.UMPIRE: Nadal has two challenge is That was set up by that magnificent

:40:31. > :40:41.second serve. The it was a big serve, right on the line. -- it was.

:40:41. > :40:42.

:40:42. > :40:47.Gets Nadal of the court, the big one to punch. -- 1, two. And he is

:40:47. > :40:57.able to get on top of the Nadal top spin like no one else has been able

:40:57. > :41:14.

:41:14. > :41:24.There it is again, that will drop wide. The Great Escape from 0-30

:41:24. > :41:26.

:41:26. > :41:31.Fascinating patterns between these players. Nadal is trying to find a

:41:31. > :41:36.way, you know he has gone out there with two or three particular aims

:41:36. > :41:42.in this match early on. You have mentioned one, John, may be upping

:41:42. > :41:46.the pace a little bit on the first serve. What else? I think he will

:41:46. > :41:50.try and step in a little closer than he has before, I think the

:41:50. > :41:54.forehand down the line could be a crucial shot. It is about getting

:41:54. > :41:59.the ratio right between winners and Erez. He has already said he needs

:41:59. > :42:05.to attack more and that is all well and good, but if you go up slightly

:42:05. > :42:10.outside of your comfort zone... It would be great to own a pair of

:42:10. > :42:13.those shoes, I have to steal one somehow. You'll have to find out

:42:13. > :42:23.which one Hyslop there is at Wimbledon. This is some of the

:42:23. > :42:29.

:42:29. > :42:34.evidence of the athleticism -- The only Grand Slam he hasn't won

:42:34. > :42:41.is the French Open. He has been very consistent there. The first

:42:41. > :42:51.match he lost last year was the semi-final in June. The first match,

:42:51. > :42:51.

:42:51. > :42:55.against Roger Federer. Absolutely stunning year. So they are not

:42:55. > :43:05.playing for the No. 1 ranking here, but in a way, it is an unofficial

:43:05. > :43:27.

:43:27. > :43:31.UMPIRE: Djokovic is challenging the call on the right baseline.

:43:31. > :43:36.really cost Andy Murray the other night when he ran out of challenges

:43:36. > :43:43.in the 5th and deciding set. Djokovic challenge as this one

:43:43. > :43:47.correctly. -- challenges. It looked as though he was doubting himself

:43:47. > :43:56.as he walked away. You have to be lucky to get those right, it is a

:43:56. > :44:06.feeling as much as anything to do John McEnroe always had a feeling

:44:06. > :44:30.

:44:30. > :44:40.That is the first point in six that Nadal has won. He snaps the

:44:40. > :45:18.

:45:18. > :45:28.momentum that Djokovic was Djokovic looked as though he

:45:28. > :45:29.

:45:29. > :45:35.stumbled a bit. We don't need that. It is exactly the sort of Ryley

:45:35. > :45:45.Batt Nadal wants to play early in this match to test Djokovic's fit

:45:45. > :45:45.

:45:45. > :46:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:46:36. > :46:45.best -- the sort of Ryley Batt Very good service game from Nadal,

:46:45. > :46:53.a lot of variety. There is the champion. Victoria Azarenka from

:46:53. > :47:00.Belarus, beat Maria Sharapova in yesterday's final. An unbelievable

:47:00. > :47:04.Some good serves there, he hit that one wide, short up the court and

:47:04. > :47:14.the last one, he slowed the pace up and it went to the forehand side,

:47:14. > :47:15.

:47:15. > :48:11.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:48:11. > :48:15.The other thing of their bad Nadal, I thought in a few matches against

:48:15. > :48:19.Djokovic last year -- the other thing that there about Nadal, there

:48:20. > :48:24.wasn't enough pace in it, and there was one in this a rally when he

:48:24. > :48:34.just floated it back mid-court and he got into trouble. He has to get

:48:34. > :48:52.

:48:53. > :49:02.more bite on that sliced backhand. That is the different right there,

:49:02. > :49:08.the way he took that second serve on. That is sending a message out.

:49:08. > :49:12.-- the difference. Djokovic is not known to have a second serve that

:49:12. > :49:22.you can really attack very much, it is a very good second serve, but

:49:22. > :49:42.

:49:42. > :49:47.Nadal was way inside the baseline, A floating ball with no pace, deep,

:49:47. > :49:51.if you have to put a lot of physical energy into it to develop

:49:51. > :50:01.anything in the rally. I'm just looking for signs of fatigue in

:50:01. > :50:14.

:50:14. > :50:18.He seems absolutely fine. He does. Unbelievable, isn't it cost --?

:50:18. > :50:28.Most normal people would need a couple of months off after a five-

:50:28. > :50:42.

:50:42. > :50:49.It takes a lot of energy to nullified the Nadal ball, top

:50:49. > :50:59.spinning, kicking up off the surface. You need to be very strong

:50:59. > :51:19.

:51:19. > :51:29.and stable, muscular ground strokes What a get the that was. -- but was.

:51:29. > :51:31.

:51:31. > :51:35.It looked like Djokovic's point. Perhaps someone who was more

:51:35. > :51:41.natural at volleying would have closed in after the first one. He

:51:41. > :51:51.let it drop and he paid the price. He retreated on that one. If you

:51:51. > :52:01.

:52:01. > :52:11.give Rafa Nadal a second bite, he Let's see if he steps in on this

:52:11. > :52:18.

:52:18. > :52:26.He did try. He just missed time dead. This is where his belief will

:52:26. > :52:32.be tested. -- he missed time did. His coaching team will have

:52:32. > :52:36.identified this as something to do. His instincts might have been to

:52:36. > :52:40.get the ball back into court and he may get dispirited, but he has got

:52:40. > :52:47.to keep doing that. They have pinpointed it as something they

:52:47. > :52:57.have to take advantage of. You will miss some of them are but you have

:52:57. > :53:16.

:53:16. > :53:19.UMPIRE: Djokovic is challenging the call. It was pouring down with rain

:53:20. > :53:25.this morning, I think at some stage they were thinking of closing the

:53:25. > :53:35.road. They closed it an hour and three-quarters ago, and then

:53:35. > :53:45.

:53:45. > :53:55.It is interesting there. UMPIRE: Djokovic is challenging the

:53:55. > :53:55.

:53:55. > :54:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:54:48. > :54:58.call. Nadal stood behind the They are liking of the way their

:54:58. > :55:36.

:55:37. > :55:39.man is attacking tonight. He steps I think Djokovic has whipped his

:55:39. > :55:47.shirt off and had a better this match of the racket. He is

:55:47. > :55:51.frustrated, he has lost a serve, he had a game point. Very interesting

:55:52. > :55:56.tactics from Nadal, he is very much making the play. It is surprising

:55:56. > :56:03.he has done that so early. Nadal had a little look over when he did

:56:03. > :56:09.that. This is strange for him to be doing this so early. Watch his

:56:09. > :56:14.racket... He gets that the thump and Nadal just took that in and

:56:14. > :56:19.right away, that gives him a boost. He has the break anyway but

:56:19. > :56:23.psychologically, it is like first blood. And how important this first

:56:23. > :56:27.set is, because both that the US Open and Wimbledon last year, in

:56:27. > :56:33.the final between these two men, Djokovic just got off to an

:56:33. > :56:43.absolute flyer. Nadal sort of got back in but was unable to make up

:56:43. > :56:45.

:56:45. > :56:51.the difference. 6-4, 6-1 at Wimbledon. Nadal was always playing

:56:51. > :56:55.catch-up. So the first step is critical. Djokovic has to be tired.

:56:55. > :56:59.He has to be tired at the end of that marathon every day and I

:56:59. > :57:03.wonder if a couple of the mistakes are due to fatigue and stiffness.

:57:03. > :57:09.If you are a little bit tired, the one person you don't want to see on

:57:09. > :57:15.the other side of the net is Nadal. But Nadal, as we said, he came out

:57:15. > :57:25.and did this in 2009 from many even longer match, so it can be done. --

:57:25. > :57:35.

:57:35. > :57:40.UMPIRE: Nadal is challenging the call on the left. The ball was

:57:40. > :57:45.called out. It is supposed to be an instant challenge. By bad thing you

:57:45. > :57:50.should be allowed to walk up and made the decision -- I don't think.

:57:50. > :57:55.There is too much for the delay. some ways, it takes the pressure

:57:55. > :58:01.off the umpires, they have got this review system, they don't have to

:58:01. > :58:11.the pin and start overruling calls. Other sports could take note,

:58:11. > :58:11.

:58:11. > :59:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:59:26. > :59:32.particularly football. Why not? A couple of good sliced backhands

:59:32. > :59:42.in that rallied from Nadal, a bit more pace on it, keeping it deep --

:59:42. > :59:42.

:59:42. > :00:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:00:31. > :00:35.He did well there. Not an easy ball, a good change up and Nadal was so

:00:35. > :00:39.quick on to the ball. It came to him a little bit quicker than he

:00:39. > :00:49.thought but he reacted well, just got enough of the angle to beat

:00:49. > :00:49.

:00:49. > :02:01.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:02:01. > :02:06.This is a tremendous effort that they are putting in, these two. The

:02:06. > :02:16.sweat is pouring off Nadal, before that point. He just wants this so

:02:16. > :02:16.

:02:16. > :02:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:02:56. > :03:04.badly. Djokovic ruined last year A surprising miss, there. There was

:03:04. > :03:11.not much on the Nadal backhand slice. A lot of errors already from

:03:11. > :03:15.Djokovic. This slice sat up, not much on it. That is the effort ball

:03:15. > :03:19.that you have to put in, Djokovic has to put something on that and it

:03:19. > :03:29.takes physical work and energy to make something happen, with a dead

:03:29. > :03:36.

:03:36. > :03:42.ball like that. That is the one On spectacular, but brilliant

:03:42. > :03:48.returner, Djokovic. Look at this, deep ball, nothing wrong with the

:03:48. > :03:58.direction of the serve, right down the line. He knows how to deal with

:03:58. > :04:34.

:04:34. > :04:39.Points won returning the second serve, a big factor in this match.

:04:39. > :04:45.We don't have access to a computer with those stats on but I am sure

:04:45. > :04:55.it will pop up at some point. Djokovic is giving Nadal a headache

:04:55. > :05:12.

:05:12. > :05:17.when Nadal is missing his first That is a big mistake,

:05:17. > :05:22.uncharacteristic, unbelievable, really. It is like he's just

:05:22. > :05:28.fighting a bit of a mental battle at the moment, Djokovic. His camp

:05:28. > :05:33.have been pointing to his head, saying, keep your mind focused. A

:05:33. > :05:43.bit worrying that this is already affecting him in the middle of the

:05:43. > :06:03.

:06:03. > :06:11.first set. He has another three He has been doing that since he

:06:11. > :06:21.learned to play the game, as a 4- year-old. Serve, bang, forehand.

:06:21. > :06:25.

:06:25. > :06:29.This game is turning out to be absolutely crucial. We are used to

:06:29. > :06:33.seeing intense matches, but it is unusual to see the fist pumping

:06:33. > :06:39.this early in a match. It Shoji, psychologically for both players,

:06:39. > :06:44.how important this first set is -- it shows you. Rapper, for the

:06:44. > :06:48.amount of match -- losses he has had in a row and Djokovic, for the

:06:48. > :06:58.physicality of his last match. They want to get out in front,

:06:58. > :07:15.

:07:15. > :07:25.Proving it is not all about pace on the serve. That was not a very fast

:07:25. > :07:49.

:07:49. > :07:54.serve but swinging out wide, right The Australian Open, the first

:07:54. > :07:59.Grand Slam of the year. It is the contest for the title, between the

:07:59. > :08:06.two men who contested the last two Grand Slams, Wimbledon and the US

:08:06. > :08:12.Open. Undoubtedly the top two players in the world. Rafa Nadal,

:08:12. > :08:22.world number 2, has a break of serve. He just can't get out of

:08:22. > :08:29.

:08:29. > :08:39.He served so well on the deuce line but he can't seem to throw out as

:08:39. > :08:51.

:08:51. > :09:01.He is a specimen, isn't he? I wonder if he might sneak a serve

:09:01. > :09:12.

:09:12. > :09:22.That's wide, and that is the game. Crucial 12 minutes of this match,

:09:22. > :09:26.

:09:26. > :09:33.40 minutes already and it is only 4-2. His place in the game, both

:09:33. > :09:37.these players' place in the game, already two of the greats. Nadal,

:09:37. > :09:42.looking to win his 11th Grand Slam title, is 11th major, he would be

:09:42. > :09:46.joining Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver. Although Labour went through most

:09:46. > :09:50.of the 60s unable to play in the Grand Slams because he was a

:09:50. > :10:00.professional. He would have won so many, but they were all on grass in

:10:00. > :10:30.

:10:30. > :10:34.Something has come down. It is his vibration damper. It probably got

:10:34. > :10:39.knocked out by the Djokovic forehand. It takes the vibrations

:10:39. > :10:45.out of the frame, a rubber thing that you put between the strings.

:10:45. > :10:55.He changes the feel of the racket and gives you a solid pop on the

:10:55. > :11:06.

:11:06. > :11:16.Novak has got one in as well, it looks quite high up the racket.

:11:16. > :11:39.

:11:39. > :11:43.Nadal has got to watch that, standing a bit too far back there.

:11:43. > :11:48.Unless he hits that to a perfect length, that is what is going to

:11:48. > :11:58.happen. Djokovic just steps in, goes back down the line, Nadal

:11:58. > :11:58.

:11:58. > :12:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:12:51. > :13:01.Moving closer up on this second serve. He missed it, but learn from

:13:01. > :13:06.

:13:06. > :13:13.the mistake the previous point. -- Nadal, having a look over again?

:13:13. > :13:18.Nadal, having a look over again? What does he want? Just a small

:13:18. > :13:25.water, that is all he requires. Not a big night out for Nadal, maybe

:13:25. > :13:34.later, after this final! Djokovic did not look like he fancied a game

:13:34. > :13:38.full of 30 stroke rallies, did he? No. The head games that he has been

:13:38. > :13:43.playing away -- around with, it looked like he released in that

:13:43. > :13:48.game. It looked like he was back into business. He had the same look

:13:48. > :13:53.as he had when he was 2-1 down against Murray in the semi-final.

:13:53. > :13:59.Almost like there was a clarity that the initial bid was over, and

:13:59. > :14:03.now they knuckle down. -- initial For a couple of games he was

:14:03. > :14:09.looking very negative and looking up at his box, and in that game he

:14:09. > :14:14.can't -- suddenly got to calm again. He knows he has got to get into his

:14:14. > :14:18.mind that he is going to be in for a long night, there is no easy way

:14:19. > :14:24.to beat Nadal and he has to bear down on it, and realise that every

:14:24. > :14:27.point could be 20 shots, that is the way it is. The new balls will

:14:27. > :14:35.fly through this Melbourne air a little bit quicker, and the ball

:14:36. > :14:45.will slide through on this plaques he pave prestige court. Big first

:14:46. > :15:18.

:15:18. > :15:28.serves often tend to help with new Marian Vajda, a former tour

:15:28. > :15:28.

:15:28. > :16:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:16:36. > :16:42.professional, he won a couple of That is the new balls. It sounds

:16:42. > :16:49.like somebody caught it in the crowd. Well done! I think his wife

:16:49. > :16:56.caught it and handed it over! blew -- but they blew if you miss!

:16:56. > :17:06.A lot of pressure goes up! It just comes through the surface, Djokovic

:17:06. > :17:36.

:17:36. > :17:40.The first forehand in this game, Nadal missed by yards. That one

:17:40. > :17:49.missed by amazing amounts. It could be the new covering on the tennis

:17:49. > :17:59.ball, it slips and side -- slides off the strings. It doesn't grip

:17:59. > :18:02.

:18:02. > :18:06.the new ball like the strings group Hang on.

:18:06. > :18:16.UMPIRE: Nadal is challenging the call on the right service line, the

:18:16. > :18:20.

:18:20. > :18:25.ball was called out. Oh, witches a shame. It is 30-30 and you are in

:18:25. > :18:30.the middle of crafting a game, and Nadal got the serve and the reply

:18:30. > :18:40.he wanted, which is why he was so disappointed. He was about to club

:18:40. > :19:01.

:19:01. > :19:05.That was a bad miss, a very bad miss. Two second serves in this

:19:05. > :19:09.game. Right into his stride zone, I

:19:09. > :19:14.thought his serve was very short, down the middle, nothing on it.

:19:14. > :19:24.Even his direction where he was hitting that is strange. That's a

:19:24. > :19:50.

:19:50. > :19:54.mental error. He does like going Very short in that rally, Nadal.

:19:54. > :19:59.tried to get length on the forehand but he just couldn't do it. It was

:19:59. > :20:06.almost like he had lost a bit of confidence after those two Mrs.

:20:06. > :20:10.could not get the ball deep. Inside the service line and that barely

:20:10. > :20:20.hit the top of the net. Neither player playing well in this game,

:20:20. > :20:21.

:20:21. > :21:46.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:21:46. > :21:56.This seven-minute game comes on top of a 12 minute game on Nadal's last

:21:56. > :21:56.

:21:56. > :22:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:22:56. > :23:00.service, as he tries to maintain Should be looking at Djokovic, he

:23:00. > :23:10.is the one going through absolute agonies. He is getting

:23:10. > :23:13.

:23:13. > :23:17.opportunities, earning His eyes are staring straight at

:23:17. > :23:27.Marian Vajda and his team, including his girlfriend, who goes

:23:27. > :23:58.

:23:58. > :24:02.through absolute nightmares It is quite a routine forehand for

:24:02. > :24:12.Nadal, really. He lost control of the length on that side a few times

:24:12. > :24:21.

:24:21. > :24:25.That is a poor game. It really was won with Djokovic not really having

:24:25. > :24:29.won with Djokovic not really having to do anything spectacular, unlike

:24:29. > :24:33.the game when Nadal broke, in which they had some epic rallies and it

:24:33. > :24:38.looked like Nadal was getting control. In that game, the forehand

:24:38. > :24:42.went completely off the boil. No control on it, unforced errors,

:24:42. > :24:46.it's sort of went a little flat, very strange.

:24:46. > :24:51.He is not playing with the same certainty of purpose as he does

:24:51. > :24:58.against others. Hardly surprising. Djokovic beat him six times in a

:24:59. > :25:08.row last year, all in big matches, two were on clay. Two in Slam

:25:09. > :25:22.

:25:22. > :25:28.Not got that length right, Nadal. He got away with that but the

:25:28. > :25:32.forehand, very short. Djokovic, inside the service box and missed

:25:32. > :25:42.the approach. It looks like he hasn't got the confidence to hit

:25:42. > :25:42.

:25:42. > :26:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:26:31. > :26:35.There we go! That is the forehand He goes through, and not just up

:26:35. > :26:45.the back of it, there is a real sense of driving through the ball.

:26:45. > :26:55.He perhaps needs to flatten it out. I mean, that is a body shop, isn't

:26:55. > :27:09.

:27:09. > :27:14.That is really unlucky. That was a triple break point there, he just

:27:14. > :27:20.nicked the net and it turned out to be just about the worst net cord he

:27:20. > :27:30.could have had. This was a winner. Djokovic was nowhere near it, and

:27:30. > :27:30.

:27:30. > :28:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:28:13. > :28:16.it bounces right up to him. That That is a tough exchange to win.

:28:16. > :28:22.Djokovic may have got lucky on the previous point but that was a

:28:22. > :28:32.little war. Fantastic match, isn't it? They have been out there one

:28:32. > :28:32.

:28:32. > :28:39.hour, 90 degrees, and no air. In Melbourne. 15,000 people in the

:28:39. > :28:49.stadium, enthralled. Still no idea which way this set is going.

:28:49. > :28:49.

:28:49. > :29:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:29:48. > :29:57.Djokovic just fought back from a Lost control of the length again,

:29:57. > :30:02.Djokovic, three games and a roll. He takes a 5-4 lead. He got away

:30:02. > :30:09.with that. That was huge, that could have been the set right there.

:30:09. > :30:19.It would have been 0-40. Now he would be serving for the set, and

:30:19. > :30:22.

:30:22. > :30:32.he is serving to stay in the set. passing shot Djokovic had no idea

:30:32. > :30:34.

:30:34. > :30:41.about. A 24-year-old versus a 25- year-old, they are in the prime of

:30:41. > :30:49.their lives, these two. It looks as if the people in the Djokovic camp

:30:49. > :30:56.have done a good job. His contest against Andy Murray finished just

:30:56. > :31:05.40 hours ago. Here he is, looking very mentally engaged now. Earlier

:31:05. > :31:15.he looked a little flustered, but now he has that clarity. What does

:31:15. > :31:18.

:31:18. > :31:23.that act of's main, John? I cannot think. He was in the last

:31:23. > :31:30.Batman film. He was, he was the district

:31:30. > :31:40.attorney. Yes, he was two face. I only saw

:31:40. > :31:40.

:31:40. > :32:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:32:57. > :33:06.We have a visitor. A whole family. The risk is still open so they

:33:07. > :33:07.

:33:07. > :35:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:35:41. > :35:49.Again of strength from Nadal. Back And finally, he takes the game. It

:35:49. > :35:55.is 5-5. That may have been his best forehand of the match, this is

:35:55. > :35:59.obviously a huge point and that was deep and tough. Look at the

:35:59. > :36:03.position on the court, once he had made the commitment to get round

:36:03. > :36:13.that he had to do something special from that part of the court, and he

:36:13. > :36:13.

:36:13. > :37:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:37:09. > :37:16.A tough ball to handle, slightly miss out from Nadal, landing close

:37:16. > :37:26.to the baseline. Djokovic is just complaining, unable to get the

:37:26. > :37:47.

:37:47. > :37:57.player on the ball he was looking A late call. The correct one, as

:37:57. > :37:57.

:37:57. > :40:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:40:05. > :40:09.That really is an unforced error. A fabulous point there, from Nadal.

:40:09. > :40:14.Most of the time he was defending round rally. He has one chance to

:40:14. > :40:24.take over with this shot, and that is what he did. He accelerated the

:40:24. > :40:24.

:40:24. > :41:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:41:06. > :41:12.racket head, got Djokovic of the This is a forehand he has been

:41:12. > :41:17.looking to get into play all set. But death and its tactic to attack

:41:17. > :41:27.the Djokovic forehand when he can. -- a definite tactic. Even when it

:41:27. > :41:51.

:41:51. > :41:59.means risking the more than he A couple of accurate forehands

:41:59. > :42:09.under huge amount of will power bringing him the break serve.

:42:09. > :42:11.

:42:11. > :42:16.of his best points from Nadal, that brilliant backhand cross-court, and

:42:16. > :42:22.that magnificent forehand when he was pushed off the line by a

:42:22. > :42:30.Djokovic. Peter two chances, Bowles or -- he took two chances, both of

:42:30. > :42:36.them paid off. This set is obviously now very interesting.

:42:36. > :42:42.From Djokovic's side, if he was to lose the set, he has not only lost

:42:42. > :42:45.but he has wasted one hour and 15 minutes, which is not what you want

:42:45. > :42:50.when you had a five-hour match a couple of days ago, or less than

:42:50. > :43:00.that. If he can hold this game here, he has put himself into a fabulous

:43:00. > :43:03.

:43:03. > :43:08.position. It said Grand Slam I'd put on his bike, Nadal, and there

:43:09. > :43:17.has been enough to do it. -- Grand Slam and it proved. He has been in

:43:17. > :43:23.15 Grand Slam finals and won ten of He is a long way from winning this

:43:23. > :43:33.one. He could take a large step towards the total if he could hold

:43:33. > :43:54.

:43:54. > :44:04.serve here. It has been a grinding An under-utilised serve, into the

:44:04. > :44:24.

:44:24. > :44:34.Another body surf from Nadal, handled well by Djokovic. Nadal

:44:34. > :44:34.

:44:34. > :45:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:45:32. > :45:42.going into the well a little too A fabulous point. Incredible

:45:42. > :45:47.

:45:47. > :45:55.The Duke of Kent, the president of the club with Rod Laver. They will

:45:55. > :46:05.appreciate this point. He was up two set points, Nadal would not be

:46:05. > :46:44.

:46:44. > :46:51.That serve sat a little bit, not much on it. Not easy to take a

:46:51. > :47:01.left-handed serve, especially at set point down. He made it look

:47:01. > :47:39.

:47:39. > :47:44.The third set of Djokovic's match against Andy Murray went to a tie-

:47:44. > :47:54.break and it was a team-mate -- 88 minutes long. This is closing in on

:47:54. > :48:04.that. If we go to the tie-break, Djokovic has come back from 15-40

:48:04. > :48:04.

:48:04. > :49:07.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:49:07. > :49:17.First set to Nadal. And the first step towards regaining the

:49:17. > :49:26.

:49:26. > :49:36.Australian Open has been taken. 80 Holding serve has never been more

:49:36. > :49:37.

:49:37. > :49:44.difficult than against these two fellows.

:49:44. > :49:47.The first serve percentage... Djokovic's is probably a little

:49:47. > :49:55.lower down. You can see unforced errors from

:49:55. > :50:02.Nadal, 17. More than it Djokovic. That is a surprise. He said he had

:50:02. > :50:09.to be more aggressive. He has the balance right. He went for the ball,

:50:09. > :50:13.he's had the confidence to do it. He kept going for it, and in the

:50:13. > :50:19.end that extra pace that he went for their created the winners, and

:50:19. > :50:25.he took his chances. A very good set from Nadal, and very

:50:25. > :50:30.aggressively played. Djokovic, talk about digging deep. After you have

:50:30. > :50:35.just lost a set, won a orange 20 minutes, after the match he had

:50:35. > :50:44.against Andy Murray, this is where he must really dig deep and Noel

:50:44. > :50:50.how much she wants to win this final. -- and know how much.

:50:50. > :50:57.talk about statistics and records from the open age, from when the

:50:57. > :51:01.game went professional, but no one has lost three success for of Grand

:51:01. > :51:05.Slam finals, and that is what Nadal was facing today. A bit more than

:51:05. > :51:13.that, this was personal, and he knows he has miles to run to get

:51:13. > :51:17.through Djokovic. Often you will get the flip-flop from Djokovic,

:51:17. > :51:20.but he has never, ever out of a tennis match. The resilience we

:51:20. > :51:26.have seen from the Serbian has been one of the most or remarkable

:51:26. > :51:36.things over the last 12 months. He will have to be resilient here, he

:51:36. > :51:36.

:51:36. > :53:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:53:52. > :53:58.A well-worked point there, from Djokovic. Certainly does not seem

:53:58. > :54:08.to be in your reaction from losing that first set. Only a positive

:54:08. > :54:11.

:54:11. > :54:21.reaction from a champion like him, We don't see that very often,

:54:21. > :54:50.

:54:50. > :54:57.serve-and-volley. And both players If you let the ball bounced on

:54:57. > :55:01.those courts where the Australian Open previously was held, that was

:55:01. > :55:07.a big mistake. You needed a pitching wedge just to get out of

:55:07. > :55:12.there. Lovely wooden stands they had up there, a wonderful Centre

:55:12. > :55:17.Court, and there was a slight domed feeling to it, the water would

:55:17. > :55:25.drain off. If you were receiving serve, you could not see the

:55:25. > :55:30.baseline down the other end. Did you notice that? I certainly did.

:55:30. > :55:39.The Australian Open then was the fourth major championship in most

:55:39. > :55:46.players' mines. It is now very much on a par with the others, it has

:55:46. > :55:56.really joined the club. Now it -- now the world of tennis certainly

:55:56. > :55:56.

:55:56. > :57:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:57:03. > :57:12.It looks like he has nicked those tissues from the courtesy car on

:57:13. > :57:13.

:57:13. > :59:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:59:09. > :59:17.Wide on that forehand, he opened that side of the Quartet Op -- of

:59:17. > :59:27.the caught up with the forehand, then missed the target. And it was

:59:27. > :59:29.

:59:29. > :59:39.He thought about coming in for a volley, because of the floated

:59:39. > :59:39.

:59:39. > :59:49.return. Then down the line and a miss. Not a very concerned --

:59:49. > :59:49.

:59:49. > :01:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:01:05. > :01:10.convincing start to the second set, Oh, yeah, good rally. What a

:01:10. > :01:15.forehand from Nadal. There were so many good shots from both players

:01:15. > :01:20.in that rally, it was an exceptional rally of quality. That

:01:20. > :01:26.explosion off the back hand, it was not an easy ball. There was a lot

:01:26. > :01:31.of height to, this was not an easy ball to get down the line from that

:01:31. > :01:34.position on the court. He threw everything into that shot.

:01:34. > :01:40.Serbian will have thought perhaps he should have come in earlier in

:01:40. > :01:50.the rally. Some back hands that he might have shoved through the court

:01:50. > :01:50.

:01:51. > :01:54.and taken the position, but elected Both players have been wary about

:01:54. > :02:04.coming into the net. You can understand it with the way they

:02:04. > :02:42.

:02:42. > :02:51.This ball seemed to stay a little bit too low, he ended up reaching,

:02:51. > :02:55.coming across the ball. Haven't seen him hit a slice that hard

:02:55. > :03:05.before. I think he realises you can't float the ball with that, you

:03:05. > :03:05.

:03:05. > :03:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:03:47. > :03:53.That ball was good, no challenge. An excellent holed from Nadal, he

:03:54. > :04:00.An excellent holed from Nadal, he played a bit of a wobbly game. A

:04:00. > :04:10.double fault and a couple of paw forehands and then he played two --

:04:10. > :04:10.

:04:10. > :04:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:04:52. > :04:56.four of his best points in the If you had to pick a best shot of

:04:56. > :05:01.Djokovic's, one that he likes to bring to the party, that would

:05:01. > :05:11.probably be it, the backhand down the line. He has been reluctant to

:05:11. > :05:11.

:05:11. > :08:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:08:26. > :08:32.The number-one ranking in the world of tennis is not up for grabs in

:08:32. > :08:36.this match, officially. But if these two guys are playing each

:08:36. > :08:39.other in the final of the slam, they are playing for the unofficial

:08:39. > :08:43.rankings. If you asked any player in the locker room who the best

:08:43. > :08:49.player is, they will say it is the winner of this match, because this

:08:49. > :08:52.is the latest edition of this rivalry which is building and

:08:52. > :08:57.building. The official world ranking was at stake in the women's

:08:57. > :09:02.final, and we congratulate Victoria Azarenka from Belarus, who defeated

:09:02. > :09:07.Maria Sharapova. Sharapova has been there before, three times she has

:09:07. > :09:12.won at the very highest level. is watching this match, she is in

:09:12. > :09:16.the crowd. I have seen Victoria, it is not as big a night as I thought

:09:16. > :09:21.she might have. Can you imagine when she woke up, she is not only

:09:21. > :09:29.the Australian Open champion but the number-one player on the planet,

:09:29. > :09:35.imagine what that feels like. Fantastic, just 22. We will look at

:09:35. > :09:39.the serve direction. He was mainly going down the middle. But one

:09:39. > :09:45.swinging out, that is the obvious place a left-hander would serve.

:09:45. > :09:49.Quite a lot of body, though? Quite a lot of body serves. Just tucking

:09:49. > :09:59.them up, doesn't allow Djokovic to spread his wings and get a good hit

:09:59. > :10:03.

:10:03. > :10:08.on the ball. Who is that? Is that Rafa's girlfriend? No. Unless she

:10:08. > :10:18.has had her hair straightened, that's possible. But don't think

:10:18. > :10:18.

:10:18. > :11:19.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:11:19. > :11:23.she is sitting in the right place That was an aggressive start,

:11:23. > :11:28.really hogging the baseline, refusing to be pushed back, doing

:11:28. > :11:32.all the attacking play. When he gets the opening, just slams it

:11:32. > :11:37.down the line. Look how far inside the court the

:11:37. > :11:47.ball lands. One inside the sideline and the baseline, lots of margin

:11:47. > :11:47.

:11:47. > :13:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:13:04. > :13:09.That is a classic. Pushed out wide, had to go for something big. Would

:13:09. > :13:19.have struggled to have got back on the court. Look how wide he was on

:13:19. > :13:19.

:13:19. > :13:26.this shot. Way outside, that's unbelievable pace. Just rifled it

:13:26. > :13:36.down the line. There was a point earlier in the rally, I thought

:13:36. > :13:48.

:13:48. > :13:52.Djokovic could have come in on the I don't think Djokovic needs too

:13:52. > :14:02.much advice on how to beat Nadal, he did it six-times last year, all

:14:02. > :14:25.

:14:25. > :14:35.Break points in Nadal's first service game. And now, or at least

:14:35. > :14:52.

:14:52. > :15:02.UMPIRE: Out. Nadal is challenging the call on the right hand service

:15:02. > :15:27.

:15:27. > :15:37.Oh, the ball was good! A wonderful Oh, the ball was good! A wonderful

:15:37. > :15:42.And there's the break of serve, And there's the break of serve,

:15:42. > :15:47.Djokovic appeared to have gone the wrong way with the approach drive,

:15:47. > :15:52.if you like. Nadal does what he does, which is make an opponent

:15:52. > :16:02.plays a tough volley. And that was just too good. This is what you

:16:02. > :16:03.

:16:03. > :16:06.could do if you volley well. seemed to shoot a bit at the end

:16:06. > :16:11.and no doubt could not get to it. He has deserve this break, he

:16:11. > :16:17.should have broken in the first game and he has come out very well

:16:17. > :16:27.in the second set, considering he lost the type first set. -- the

:16:27. > :16:27.

:16:27. > :20:14.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:20:14. > :20:19.It is an interesting turnaround. More than a passing resemblance to

:20:19. > :20:24.what happened after that massive third set in the semi-final win

:20:24. > :20:30.that Djokovic had over Murray. He can't write down, took it back to

:20:30. > :20:34.basics. If -- he can't do it right down. If there was one point when

:20:34. > :20:38.you said, could marry have done something different, it might have

:20:38. > :20:42.been at the start of the 4th set when he was perhaps just a little

:20:42. > :20:49.bit cautious, probably just exhausted. Djokovic came right on

:20:49. > :20:53.through. It feels a little bit like that here. It looks like he has

:20:53. > :20:58.found the right range. It is not that Djokovic played a bad first

:20:58. > :21:02.set but it looked like he didn't quite get that -- the balance right,

:21:02. > :21:08.was over extending on ground strokes, made some unforced errors,

:21:08. > :21:13.mentally maybe fatigue. Now he seems to have got calmer, he is

:21:13. > :21:15.attacking at the right times, he has cut down on the unforced errors.

:21:15. > :21:21.He's down a set but he looks very He's down a set but he looks very

:21:21. > :21:26.dominant, and seems to have got his dominant, and seems to have got his

:21:27. > :21:29.game face on more. Approaching two hours of play. And even amount of

:21:29. > :21:31.hours of play. And even amount of points won. It is when you win them

:21:31. > :21:36.points won. It is when you win them that counts, there are such things

:21:36. > :21:38.as big points in matches. All that really tells us is that it is a

:21:38. > :21:44.really tells us is that it is a close match. And that's absolutely

:21:44. > :21:49.right. A hot evening in Melbourne, Victoria. 90 degrees at the start

:21:49. > :21:55.of the match. Not too much air gets into this Rod Laver Arena. They had

:21:55. > :22:05.the roof closed about 3.5 hours ago, light spots of rain. Nothing around

:22:05. > :22:05.

:22:05. > :22:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:22:52. > :22:56.now, that Ruth is open. -- the roof Djokovic is standing much closer to

:22:56. > :23:01.the baseline and manoeuvring Nadal around. He is taking the ball early,

:23:01. > :23:07.getting Nadal out wide enough. A bit of extra pace on those ground

:23:07. > :23:13.strokes. Quite a relaxing game before Djokovic, he has the 4-1

:23:13. > :23:23.lead. He can loosen the limbs a bit, go for the shots, if he gets the

:23:23. > :23:25.

:23:25. > :23:32.break he will almost certainly get Even if he doesn't win this, he is

:23:32. > :23:42.still 4-2 up. It is a lovely position in the match to be in. The

:23:42. > :23:42.

:23:42. > :24:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:24:45. > :24:52.It is a pity, it was there, he should have made that volley.

:24:52. > :24:58.Anticipated the right way. A good approach, covered down the line,

:24:59. > :25:05.had an open court, should have made that. So far out of the court, he

:25:05. > :25:15.could not get back. He used to have more awkward for to help him with

:25:15. > :25:15.

:25:15. > :26:20.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:26:20. > :26:25.the volley technique. -- used to You can see the previous winners

:26:25. > :26:33.there, Federer in 2010 over Andy Murray. Djokovic last year over

:26:33. > :26:43.Andy Murray. UMPIRE: Djokovic is challenging the

:26:43. > :26:48.call on the right service line, the ball is called like -- called out.

:26:48. > :26:53.Djokovic has challenged as well as he has played in the last 12 months.

:26:53. > :27:03.Amazing. A matter of millimetres here and there, he has been right

:27:03. > :27:03.

:27:03. > :27:46.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:27:46. > :27:51.Just wide, he didn't have quite enough in swing on it. It was a

:27:51. > :28:01.shot to nothing again. Rather like the Nadal backhand down the line a

:28:01. > :28:29.

:28:30. > :28:36.couple of games ago. It was a Professional, tough part of a set,

:28:36. > :28:41.this, isn't it? A big first point, hard on the body. He is determined

:28:41. > :28:51.to make the first serve, didn't want to see Nadal skipping around

:28:51. > :29:19.

:29:19. > :29:24.It is the heart of this set, this game. Two hours, they have been out

:29:24. > :29:34.there. Nadal is trying to get back into this set, he has looked second

:29:34. > :29:34.

:29:34. > :30:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:30:41. > :30:48.A very strong ever to from Djokovic there, having lost the first point,

:30:48. > :30:53.a real focus and intensity. We are used to seeing it from them, he is

:30:53. > :30:58.doing all the things a professional does, a tough one.

:30:58. > :31:02.Just thinking back, we talk about the way he has changed mentally in

:31:02. > :31:07.the last few years, to call from someone people thought he did not

:31:07. > :31:15.have it in hand to win these things, just a year-and-a-half ago at the

:31:15. > :31:21.French Open, he changed his serve. He was bowling it, and he was

:31:21. > :31:27.serving 15 double faults in the game. He was only 7,100 mph, he was

:31:27. > :31:32.spinning it in. Looking at and then, you thought, will he ever repair

:31:32. > :31:36.this serve and confidence? You think of all the battles he has

:31:36. > :31:42.come through to be the champion he is, it is amazing in such a short

:31:42. > :31:47.space of time. And his motion looks so simple and relaxed. What he did

:31:47. > :31:57.not have before was the racket head going down his back. It was a

:31:57. > :31:57.

:31:57. > :33:11.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:33:11. > :33:21.Just like their game at 4-1, this game, at 5-2, is something of a

:33:21. > :33:21.

:33:21. > :34:10.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:34:10. > :34:20.You will not see him stopping, he will go right through the ball, the

:34:20. > :34:49.

:34:49. > :34:59.racket head up, it does not crop. Watch how fast this ball arrives

:34:59. > :34:59.

:34:59. > :36:29.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:36:29. > :36:37.This was such a tough ball, loads UMPIRE: the ball was called in.

:36:37. > :36:47.The ball was called in on his first serve.

:36:47. > :36:52.

:36:52. > :37:02.It added was in! Djokovic still arguing. He was saying, even if the

:37:02. > :37:02.

:37:02. > :37:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:37:45. > :37:50.This is what Mark Kermode last year, one of Nadal's strengths, something

:37:50. > :37:54.he can rely on, is to get people out wide with that left-handed

:37:54. > :38:04.serve, and get his forehand into play. That one came back with

:38:04. > :38:04.

:38:04. > :39:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:39:57. > :40:05.Just no time to react, that return Got the feeling that Djokovic did

:40:05. > :40:12.not want to spend any more energy on that. He is ready to get on and

:40:12. > :40:22.serve. It was a good job for Djokovic, he made Nadal work very

:40:22. > :40:25.hard. Nadal with no great momentum going into this game. Now another

:40:25. > :40:30.of these moments of truth which present themselves in five-set

:40:30. > :40:40.matches. Djokovic serving for the second set. They have been out

:40:40. > :40:54.

:40:54. > :41:01.there for over two hours ten That is fantastic! Forward, he says,

:41:01. > :41:07.for word. He is the first person, and I think Andy Murray can do this,

:41:07. > :41:12.as well, actually, but really Djokovic is the first person that

:41:12. > :41:16.can take all the top spin Nadal throws at him. He just hit sit flat

:41:16. > :41:26.like there is nothing on it at all. He hits it before it gets too high

:41:26. > :41:39.

:41:39. > :41:49.on him, he does not mind that That is very unexpected, there. He

:41:49. > :41:54.got so far behind the baseline, Nadal. He has this whipped forehand,

:41:54. > :42:04.it goes up behind his head, but normally he gets a bit more through

:42:04. > :42:04.

:42:04. > :43:01.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:43:01. > :43:05.How he dealt with that high backhand Nadal it, he looked like

:43:05. > :43:11.he was off balance, Djokovic, and he somehow managed to direct it

:43:11. > :43:14.back down the line with pace. Unbelievable shot. He did not

:43:14. > :43:24.follow at in, that would have been an easier volley than the one

:43:24. > :43:24.

:43:24. > :44:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:44:59. > :45:09.coming up here. But still, a That shot looked so much better

:45:09. > :45:30.

:45:30. > :45:38.coming forward. It is back to two Djokovic will be so gutted! Great

:45:38. > :45:43.anticipation from Nadal after what was a very average drop shot.

:45:43. > :45:49.was an awful drop shot, and he got away with it. He just guessed right,

:45:49. > :45:59.and you would have favoured Djokovic to win the point from that

:45:59. > :46:26.

:46:26. > :46:34.position nine times out of 10. It is a double. It will be a

:46:34. > :46:41.challenge. It is just wishful thinking, I don't really think he

:46:41. > :46:48.thinks his second serve was in. A long way out. It is a break.

:46:48. > :46:53.Djokovic is blowing this. Perhaps temporarily, but that could be

:46:53. > :47:02.absolutely crucial, couldn't it? He played a good game on the previous

:47:02. > :47:07.game, and that was a decent game, too. He missed a backhand, Nadal

:47:07. > :47:10.played a great next point, and then there four point where Djokovic

:47:10. > :47:16.could have done anything other than what he actually did and he would

:47:16. > :47:24.have upset the point again. obviously did not see that coming

:47:24. > :47:27.at 40-15. It looked like Djokovic was taking the ball earlier,

:47:27. > :47:32.dominating baseline exchanges, it looked like he was in total command,

:47:32. > :47:38.and then deducts on this man, you could not see how he was going to

:47:38. > :47:48.break their, and he suddenly came back and at him again. That deuce

:47:48. > :47:50.

:47:50. > :48:00.point, Djokovic had that point. Either way, Nadal is a way back in.

:48:00. > :48:05.

:48:05. > :48:09.There is lots of ice India, by the way. -- Giglio in there. -- ice in

:48:09. > :48:16.there. Very humid, it is the first Grand Slam of the Year, the

:48:16. > :48:24.Australian Open. Nadal won the first set, 7-5, and he was down a

:48:24. > :48:33.5-2 in this set. He is now still don't 5-4, so he still has to serve

:48:33. > :48:43.to say in this sector. -- to stay in this set. It is the same final

:48:43. > :48:44.

:48:44. > :48:54.we had at Wimbledon and the US Open. Nadal beat Roger Federer, and

:48:54. > :48:54.

:48:54. > :50:43.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:50:43. > :50:53.Djokovic beat Andy Murray in his Save serve, middle of the box.

:50:53. > :50:57.

:50:57. > :51:07.Djokovic picking that one, giving Nadal not interested in challenging

:51:07. > :51:19.

:51:19. > :51:27.I think he has got the best return I have ever seen, better than Andre

:51:27. > :51:32.Agassi, it is possible. He has certainly hotting up Nadal on some

:51:32. > :51:42.of these second serves. As he did with Andy Murray, that was one

:51:42. > :51:42.

:51:42. > :52:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:52:55. > :53:05.And again. Two first serves brings The ball was good. The umpire is

:53:05. > :53:06.

:53:06. > :53:16.overruled. UMPIRE: You have one challenge. Nadal challenges, the

:53:16. > :53:22.

:53:22. > :53:29.Called out by the person at the baseline, the line judge. Overruled

:53:29. > :53:37.correctly by the umpire. No challenges remaining. There could

:53:37. > :53:47.be some distance to run in this set. He is a bit cross because he hit a

:53:47. > :54:13.

:54:13. > :54:23.return and it hit the back edge of Once again, that point set up by

:54:23. > :54:25.

:54:25. > :54:28.that return of serve off the second He just thumps that Paul, putting

:54:28. > :54:38.Nadal on the back foot from the start of the rally and after that

:54:38. > :54:58.

:54:58. > :55:04.Nadal's gone the wrong way with the approach forehand! So many times

:55:04. > :55:13.she has gone to the forehand of Djokovic. To take nothing away from

:55:13. > :55:23.the Serbian's past, it was made possible by Nadal's wrong choice of

:55:23. > :55:52.

:55:53. > :55:56.approach, wrong side. Some One set all it is. He will not

:55:56. > :56:01.relinquish his Australian Open title easily. Did we think he

:56:01. > :56:04.might? Some of us did because of his physical condition, or the

:56:04. > :56:09.possibility of deterioration after his match against Andy Murray that

:56:09. > :56:16.lasted five hours, but not a bit of it. Two very similar games in a

:56:16. > :56:21.role, both ended on double faults. Two breaks to finish that set, this

:56:21. > :56:25.is good fun from where we are sitting, are you enjoying it?

:56:25. > :56:31.This is an absolute thriller. You just get the feeling the momentum

:56:31. > :56:36.was changing their, Djokovic getting great points on all of

:56:36. > :56:40.Nadal's serves. It is Rafael Nadal asking questions at this change of

:56:40. > :56:44.ends. Does he have to go back to that attacking tennis? I think that

:56:44. > :56:49.is the only way he will win this. I agreed. If you look at the

:56:49. > :56:53.statistics they put up there, I believe he hit 15 in the first set,

:56:53. > :56:58.and Djokovic has now gone ahead of him in the winning category. You

:56:58. > :57:02.can see Djokovic is moving up closer to the baseline, taking more

:57:02. > :57:07.chances on, and he looks like he is the one that has the most time and

:57:07. > :57:11.Nadal is backing up. I think he has to take more chances, hug the

:57:11. > :57:16.baseline a little closer and be more aggressive, as aggressive as

:57:16. > :57:21.he was in the first set. Andy, how will he hang on to the

:57:21. > :57:25.first serve? You talk about Djokovic's retro, so superior to

:57:25. > :57:28.anyone on tour at the moment. What can he do with his serve to keep

:57:29. > :57:33.them back, other than get first serves in?

:57:33. > :57:38.That is the only way. You can try and vary the pace, speed and spin

:57:38. > :57:41.of your service, but at the moment whenever anyone on tour tries to do

:57:42. > :57:46.any of that, at Djokovic seems to be a split second ahead of them.

:57:46. > :57:52.Such is the ease and simplicity of his take and he is able to take the

:57:52. > :57:57.ball early and put it back. I think it will come down to a fight, Nadal

:57:57. > :58:05.has to fight. If he is thinking clearly and tactically, first

:58:05. > :58:10.served his end. Rafael Nadal is taking these type -

:58:10. > :58:15.- taking his time to meet these challenges, and that is beginning

:58:15. > :58:21.to annoy Djokovic, and that could become an issue. It is a rule they

:58:21. > :58:24.could change very easily, there could be a two or three second

:58:24. > :58:29.limit and that would eliminate this nonsense about walking up to the

:58:29. > :58:34.line. It puts the opponent off and should not be allowed to happen.

:58:34. > :58:38.Djokovic certainly made his views known to the umpire while Nadal did

:58:38. > :58:42.that for the third time in that set. Meanwhile, it looks like it is

:58:42. > :58:52.going Djokovic's way, but this is an absolute thriller and I are

:58:52. > :58:55.

:58:55. > :59:01.We have been joined on the court by one or two insects, some of them

:59:01. > :59:11.have been cleaned off on this hot night. A sweeping machine comes in

:59:11. > :59:11.

:59:11. > :01:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:01:02. > :01:12.Just staying very close to the baseline there, hitting the ball

:01:12. > :01:14.

:01:14. > :01:24.You can see Nadal way behind the baseline, being pushed out of

:01:24. > :01:24.

:01:24. > :03:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:03:38. > :03:43.Nadal would have been quite pleased with that first serve until it came

:03:43. > :03:51.back at him. And the weight it bid from Djokovic got him right off

:03:51. > :03:54.balance. -- the way it did. There is a cumulative pressure that

:03:54. > :04:04.builds when your best serves are coming back with interest. You

:04:04. > :04:04.

:04:04. > :05:19.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:05:19. > :05:25.That is a superb point. Just the setting up the point so beautifully

:05:25. > :05:31.there. Down the line, down the line. Just gets him all over the place

:05:31. > :05:36.and then he hits this lovely short angled off the court. There is no

:05:36. > :05:46.point over hitting back one, you wanted to land as wide as possible.

:05:46. > :05:57.

:05:57. > :06:02.Or you have got to do his practice There is that we turn again, it is

:06:02. > :06:08.devastating. That is two first serves that have come back at him

:06:08. > :06:18.and literally given him no chance. One moment, you hit a good serve,

:06:18. > :06:34.

:06:34. > :06:40.less than a second later you have The big rivalry week with Nadal and

:06:40. > :06:47.Federer, Federer is a great returner of serve, but Nadal will

:06:47. > :06:52.not be getting those kind of shot to coming at both sides, like a

:06:53. > :07:02.Djokovic can do. Which is why Nadal is serving writing to his body.

:07:03. > :07:13.

:07:13. > :07:23.That was another example of a brilliant serve into the body and

:07:23. > :07:26.

:07:26. > :07:30.the return of serve was six inches When he gets a strike like that of

:07:30. > :07:40.the return, it enables him to get ahead in the rally -- off. He can

:07:40. > :07:46.

:07:46. > :07:52.dominate his opponent and make the He missed one. Nadal is doing the

:07:52. > :08:02.right thing. He is getting a high percentage of first serves in.

:08:02. > :08:19.

:08:19. > :08:24.Maybe even taking a little bit of That is an unforced error. It is

:08:24. > :08:30.just a forehand in a rally. Lost the length of it. It is a more

:08:30. > :08:40.important game for Nadal than it is for Djokovic. His first service

:08:40. > :08:40.

:08:40. > :09:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:09:45. > :09:55.game of the third set, just lost Carlos Costa there, a top-ten

:09:55. > :09:56.

:09:56. > :10:01.player. Now works with one of the And that their man finally holds a

:10:01. > :10:03.serve and very important that he did so. Something to work with

:10:03. > :10:13.did so. Something to work with after a quarter of an hour of this

:10:13. > :10:17.

:10:17. > :10:21.third set. Each of these sets have Nadal trying to break Djokovic's 20

:10:21. > :10:31.match winning streak at these Grand Slam events. Trying to force

:10:31. > :10:33.

:10:33. > :10:43.himself forward. This is what they You saw that a gesture to Toni

:10:43. > :11:00.

:11:00. > :11:08.Nadal, he knows what he has got to This is absolutely unbelievable,

:11:08. > :11:15.isn't it? You could see Nadal trying to do exactly that, floating

:11:15. > :11:19.on the baseline, but he got pulled out wide, he had no choice. With

:11:19. > :11:25.the top spin that Nadal put on it, it is risky to go deep, because a

:11:25. > :11:30.little bit less and it flies long. Or maybe he needs to flatten out

:11:30. > :11:40.that forehand a little bit. Get the ball going through the court to

:11:40. > :11:49.

:11:49. > :11:59.It is pretty tough to change your technique, though, isn't it? It

:11:59. > :11:59.

:11:59. > :12:43.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:12:43. > :12:48.wouldn't take a wholesale change to When Djokovic is in this type of

:12:48. > :12:53.move, that backhand that we saw from Nadal, it is just not accurate

:12:53. > :12:58.enough. It is sort of in the middle of the court, for feet in front of

:12:58. > :13:08.the baseline and Djokovic is too good -- four feet. The length has

:13:08. > :13:26.

:13:26. > :13:34.It had seemed so unlikely when Nadal came on to the scene about

:13:34. > :13:38.some body would be able, when he was at his best, would be able to

:13:38. > :13:43.take him out of his game plan, making do something different. --

:13:43. > :13:53.somebody. It is wonderful to watch Nadal trying to be flexible, to

:13:53. > :14:19.

:14:19. > :14:26.change his game, to think his way He is struggling to execute the

:14:26. > :14:30.game plan he knows his right. -- he's right. His natural game plan

:14:30. > :14:35.would have been to slice one or loop a backhand, but he is trying

:14:35. > :14:45.to get in and take the ball early, because he knows it is the right

:14:45. > :14:45.

:14:45. > :15:35.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:15:35. > :15:42.UMPIRE: New balls, please. It is really just a continuation, isn't

:15:42. > :15:47.it? This year is what Djokovic did it? This year is what Djokovic did

:15:47. > :15:54.it -- did last year, he is on a 20 match a winning streak in tennis

:15:54. > :15:58.majors. The Addie man to beat him at that level last year was at the

:15:58. > :16:04.semi-final of the French, Roger Federer -- can be a lonely. Since

:16:04. > :16:13.then, he has given Nadal a bit the lesson at Wimbledon and the US Open,

:16:13. > :16:23.so it was Nadal's aim to try and change and think, but the lead

:16:23. > :16:26.

:16:26. > :16:31.weight on his racket that putt. But it won't go away. Sampras was 25 in

:16:31. > :16:41.a row in the majors. They are rarely said then you can wind to

:16:41. > :16:44.

:16:45. > :16:54.win a major championship. -- there Rod Laver has the record, with 29

:16:55. > :17:02.

:17:02. > :17:12.Rod Laver has the record, with 29 So, this can't step -- contest

:17:12. > :17:17.

:17:17. > :17:22.which is only in his third set up... -- only in its third set.

:17:22. > :17:32.UMPIRE: More bananas, please. will hear that a lot to him these

:17:32. > :17:32.

:17:32. > :20:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:20:45. > :20:50.You can understand the frustration from Djokovic. He knows that it was

:20:50. > :20:57.an overall and it was a good one but he has hit another world class

:20:57. > :21:02.returned -- overrule. They have called it long. Nobody is trying to

:21:02. > :21:07.make mistakes. He would have been in such a good position. Look at

:21:07. > :21:17.this return of serve. It is a joke, it is inside the baseline. It is

:21:17. > :21:45.

:21:45. > :21:52.getting late for everybody, isn't Yes. You can feel Djokovic grabbing

:21:52. > :21:56.a hold of this match. He is just overpowering him in this rally.

:21:56. > :22:01.Every shot, Nadal was on the back foot. There wasn't one when he

:22:01. > :22:07.could get on top of the rally. He was pushed back, side to side,

:22:07. > :22:12.after the opening return of serve. It is amazing how he can do that.

:22:12. > :22:22.And it is the flat hit from Djokovic and his absolute belief in

:22:22. > :23:01.

:23:01. > :23:04.his technique that enables him to It is called wide, and that was a

:23:04. > :23:11.grunting contest as well as a grunting contest as well as a

:23:11. > :23:21.tennis point. They both knew how important it was, and it is a break.

:23:21. > :23:24.Nadal there, with three or four forehands, at Djokovic, he was

:23:24. > :23:34.forehands, at Djokovic, he was throwing everything. It was coming

:23:34. > :23:44.

:23:44. > :23:48.back at pace. You have got to go They really went head-to-head on

:23:48. > :23:58.that point and in that game and it was Djokovic who once again came

:23:58. > :23:58.

:23:58. > :25:03.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:25:03. > :25:13.Nadal questioning the serve. UMPIRE: Nadal is challenging the

:25:13. > :25:15.

:25:15. > :25:21.It has been one of those night for Nadal. He still can't believe that.

:25:21. > :25:31.He looked at the Marchand was convinced it was out. -- the mark

:25:31. > :25:36.

:25:36. > :25:42.This is an absolute nothing again for Nadal, he gains nothing from

:25:42. > :25:46.this. Right from the word go, the first wide serve where he mishit

:25:46. > :25:50.the return, there is nothing going his way. He has to come up with

:25:50. > :26:00.some ideas. If coaches were allowed on court, this is the time when

:26:00. > :26:01.

:26:01. > :26:04.-- A Time Out. I have no idea what -- A Time Out. I have no idea what

:26:04. > :26:13.he would say. That is a superb game, what a way to back up a break of

:26:13. > :26:21.It is set fair at the moment for Djokovic. It is amazing to say this

:26:21. > :26:25.Djokovic. It is amazing to say this but at the moment, at the match --

:26:25. > :26:30.the match is totally out of Nadal's hands. As long as Djokovic doesn't

:26:30. > :26:34.get tired, physically or mentally, there is nothing Nadal can seem to

:26:34. > :26:40.do. He doesn't seem to have the pace in his game to knock Djokovic

:26:40. > :26:45.out of the court and Djokovic is hardly making any Erez, imposing

:26:45. > :26:50.himself -- any mistakes. Nadal has to fling himself a bad, try and get

:26:50. > :26:55.into these rallies and create something for -- bring himself

:26:55. > :27:00.about. But his top spin is being beaten by the fact shots right now,

:27:00. > :27:04.it is a battle between the high forehands from Nadal and the flat

:27:04. > :27:10.hitting from Djokovic and Djokovic is just steamrollering him at the

:27:10. > :27:16.moment. And little less exuberance from the Spanish supporters -- a

:27:16. > :27:20.little less. You might wear things like that to the stadium, but if

:27:20. > :27:30.your man loses, you change, don't your man loses, you change, don't

:27:30. > :27:33.

:27:33. > :27:40.you? Not if you are a truly loyal Nadal, in his mind, or he cannot

:27:40. > :27:45.keep this up, that is his sort of I am going to be here until the

:27:45. > :27:50.last point, coming at you. That is the way he is. He will think he has

:27:50. > :27:54.to hold serve here and if he can keep holding, which is proving

:27:54. > :28:04.difficult... Djokovic still has to win a couple of service games to

:28:04. > :28:40.

:28:40. > :28:44.That wasn't a bad backhand cross- court from Nadal there, but it was

:28:44. > :28:54.taken so easily and so early by Djokovic with a forehand down the

:28:54. > :28:54.

:28:54. > :29:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:29:47. > :29:51.line under the point is over. -- It is a flatter ball, isn't it?

:29:51. > :29:56.This was without question the most feared shot and the game at this

:29:56. > :30:01.stage. It has not proved to be, since this man came along, really.

:30:01. > :30:11.To be fair, it is only Djokovic that can nullify it. That is what I

:30:11. > :30:11.

:30:11. > :30:54.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:30:55. > :31:04.No wonder they get tired and start talking about the season been too

:31:05. > :31:17.

:31:17. > :31:22.This is turning into a tour-de- force for the Mac, exhibition

:31:22. > :31:32.tennis. He seems to have all the time, all the options and all the

:31:32. > :32:05.

:32:05. > :32:10.We could so easily have been watching Andy Murray instead of no

:32:10. > :32:20.gap -- Novak Djokovic here. I wonder who Djokovic wanted to win

:32:20. > :32:20.

:32:20. > :33:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:33:23. > :33:28.That allows important hold of serve. At least he has something going in

:33:28. > :33:34.the set, now he can ask Djokovic questions. Can you hold on, because

:33:34. > :33:44.I am coming at you? He finally made a few mistakes in that game,

:33:44. > :34:10.

:34:10. > :34:20.Djokovic. Just for a few minutes he Both these men have spearheaded

:34:20. > :34:20.

:34:20. > :35:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:35:22. > :35:32.Can you remember seeing him this Like Tigger without the bounce at

:35:32. > :35:58.

:35:58. > :36:03.Be he is playing the second-best player in the world. Going up

:36:03. > :36:13.against Nadal's serve, ETA has almost light there is no advantage

:36:13. > :36:18.to Nadal serving, Djokovic looks like he can break his serve at will.

:36:18. > :36:27.Jelena Ristic, who is with Novak Djokovic, she has some nice cold

:36:27. > :36:31.water, settling in for what could be a set and again left. -- a game

:36:31. > :36:37.left. She is looking a little happier than she was most of the

:36:37. > :36:41.way through the first set and in the MORI match. -- Andy Murray

:36:41. > :36:51.match. Will back is in control, but you will under the scoring system

:36:51. > :36:55.

:36:55. > :37:05.in tennis it can change so fast. Nadal will now be thinking, hang on,

:37:05. > :37:21.

:37:21. > :37:25.The Rod Laver Arena holds 15,000 people. They have all sorts of

:37:25. > :37:35.events here, they had the Commonwealth games gymnastics here,

:37:35. > :37:57.

:37:57. > :38:01.the world swimming championships, Nadal had a good look at a ball

:38:01. > :38:08.that landed on his baseline. You cannot challenge now, you have to

:38:09. > :38:18.stop the rally and make an immediate challenge. You have time

:38:19. > :38:19.

:38:19. > :39:14.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:39:14. > :39:24.Nadal's father, friends, agent, managers, Stringer's - nothing any

:39:24. > :39:24.

:39:24. > :40:25.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:40:25. > :40:29.What a shot! Two sets to one to the world number one. He is stamping

:40:29. > :40:33.his authority on this Australian Open final. Is it inevitable that

:40:33. > :40:43.he wins his fifth Grand Slam championship? That is a confident

:40:43. > :40:56.

:40:56. > :41:01.Look at the winds from Nadal. Two, not enough. And he is making more

:41:01. > :41:10.unforced errors. That is just frightening.

:41:10. > :41:13.Why can't he hit more winners? How does he set. Up so he can? -- the

:41:13. > :41:18.point up. That is the problem, he is always

:41:18. > :41:22.on the back foot. The only chance he has, and he acknowledged that

:41:22. > :41:27.when he looked up at his uncle Toni Nadal and moved closer to the

:41:27. > :41:32.baseline, he is not doing any good, he is bouncing off Djokovic.

:41:32. > :41:38.Djokovic has more time, he is hitting the ball flatter, harbour

:41:38. > :41:44.and creating more angles. He is not likely to run ETA of

:41:44. > :41:48.belief -- to run out of belief that impending victory, his he?

:41:48. > :41:53.If he lost the fourth set maybe that would come into play, but at

:41:53. > :41:58.some moment, these sort of winners he is hitting, Nadal can never get

:41:58. > :42:04.on the front foot. He is being crushed by pace, power and accuracy,

:42:04. > :42:11.defensive ability when Djokovic needs it. He cannot get into this

:42:11. > :42:16.match. Really, his only hope, that he is a great champion, he will

:42:16. > :42:26.keep trying to hang in there and hope that Djokovic's level will

:42:26. > :42:27.

:42:27. > :42:35.Just to put his achievement into perspective, we talked about his

:42:35. > :42:45.here last year. He is just the fifth man to win three of these

:42:45. > :42:56.

:42:56. > :43:06.majors in a role. It is a rare feat at. Labour, Sampras, Federer and

:43:06. > :43:27.

:43:27. > :43:37.His first response is for his sake but also for Djokovic's sake, just

:43:37. > :43:37.

:43:37. > :44:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:44:27. > :44:34.Point of the match. They had at least five winners each. Did Nadal

:44:34. > :44:42.throw everything at him in that rally or what? Watched the sprint.

:44:42. > :44:52.Watch Nadal if you can, he has his head down and just pumped his legs.

:44:52. > :45:02.Trying to make around, but not to be. These guys are good. What comes

:45:02. > :45:02.

:45:02. > :45:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:45:51. > :45:54.after this generation? Somebody He is into his own, isn't he? Lots

:45:54. > :46:04.of different expressions, he is playing out of the street, or

:46:04. > :46:05.

:46:05. > :46:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:46:57. > :47:01.How good must but failed to Nadal? He only wins one in five of these

:47:01. > :47:11.baseline encounters, according to the statistics.

:47:11. > :47:19.

:47:19. > :47:29.This one captain and the game. -- What a competitor, though. He just

:47:29. > :47:53.

:47:53. > :47:58.It is not his natural shot that barely in a rally, and he feels he

:47:58. > :48:08.must play it against Djokovic. Against everybody else he would

:48:08. > :48:24.

:48:24. > :48:34.Good pace, there. He flattened that backhand out, drilled it down the

:48:34. > :48:34.

:48:34. > :49:30.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:49:30. > :49:40.Interesting, serve-and-volley just That will devastate Nadal, deuce

:49:40. > :49:52.

:49:52. > :50:02.into the rally, backhand in the A firm job, hasn't he? -- jaw.

:50:02. > :50:15.

:50:16. > :50:23.Another miniature contest won by the Serbian. Amazing where this

:50:24. > :50:28.came from, isn't it? He went on a gluten free diet at the end of 2010,

:50:28. > :50:33.won the Davis Cup for Serbia for the first time, then came out and

:50:33. > :50:38.won the Australian Open. Andy Murray played well in the final but

:50:38. > :50:41.got beaten in straight sets. Djokovic was playing at an

:50:41. > :50:46.incredibly high standard, perhaps we did not recognise quite how high

:50:46. > :50:51.it was. Since then he has been the man. The match points he saved

:50:51. > :50:56.against Roger Federer in the US Open semi-final were massive. He

:50:56. > :51:04.went on to win that tournament. How do you construct again.? He seems

:51:04. > :51:10.like he has everyone on his side. - - construct and game-plan. If he

:51:10. > :51:14.does win this one, it will be interesting how Nadal defends his

:51:14. > :51:21.French Open title, because Djokovic will be going for the non- calendar

:51:22. > :51:31.Grand Slam, the holder of all four majors, that is a rare bird. But

:51:32. > :52:09.

:52:09. > :52:13.That is a wonderful point, but the only problem is, you don't want to

:52:13. > :52:23.be put in positions where you have to go for winners from that area of

:52:23. > :53:00.

:53:00. > :53:10.the court. The odds do not favour The piece was too much, it came

:53:10. > :53:10.

:53:10. > :56:19.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:56:19. > :56:24.He has just run out of gas in this This has happened so often in

:56:24. > :56:28.tonight's match, you feel he is going to do it all the time. A

:56:28. > :56:38.fabulous serve from Nadal right into the body, yet it comes back at

:56:38. > :57:05.

:57:05. > :57:11.him so fast he has no chance on the The crowd are right with him,

:57:11. > :57:21.aren't they? That can help. They recognise a man throwing everything

:57:21. > :57:46.

:57:46. > :57:54.at his opponent. Trying to keep his The effect that Novak Djokovic has

:57:54. > :58:00.had on his colleagues around him in the rankings has been unbelievable.

:58:00. > :58:04.I am sure Rafael Nadal has thought about nothing but the losses he had

:58:04. > :58:12.to him last year. Roger Federer has tried to respond, and it was one of

:58:12. > :58:22.the great matches of last year, the French Open where he beat Djokovic,

:58:22. > :58:35.

:58:35. > :58:42.he was almost in tears by the end I just thought Andy Murray had all

:58:42. > :58:52.those great points at 5-5 in the fifth set, after coming back from

:58:52. > :58:52.

:58:52. > :59:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:59:47. > :59:54.Nadal, every service games he has to work hard to hold. Djokovic is

:59:54. > :00:04.now so much more comfortable will hold serve in daytime, whereas

:00:04. > :00:12.

:00:12. > :00:18.Nadal has to begin every point just Still with that iced towel around

:00:18. > :00:26.his neck, trying to keep his body temperature down. If you have been

:00:26. > :00:29.with us this morning in the UK, they kicked off around 830 or so,

:00:29. > :00:35.that have just been hammering each other for three hours 30 minutes.

:00:35. > :00:45.If this goes edition -- distance, the record for a singles match is

:00:45. > :00:45.

:00:46. > :00:51.around the five hours 15 minutes Lleyton Hewitt once finished a

:00:51. > :00:58.match here at 4:34am. I had the pleasure of commentating on that

:00:58. > :01:06.match. Was that against Sebastien Grosjean? I think it was Marcos

:01:06. > :01:16.Baghdatis. I didn't know the names by the end, it was so late. There

:01:16. > :01:20.

:01:20. > :01:28.was the Andy Roddick match as well. It has been another spectacular

:01:28. > :01:38.Australian Open. Victoria Azarenka is the women's champion and world

:01:38. > :01:38.

:01:38. > :03:23.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:03:23. > :03:33.Nadal just hanging in there at the That one will go upstairs.

:03:33. > :03:34.

:03:34. > :03:44.UMPIRE: Djokovic is challenging the call. This one might have just

:03:44. > :03:50.

:03:50. > :03:55.travelled a bit too far in the air UMPIRE: Djokovic has two challenges

:03:55. > :04:01.behave it -- remaining. I'm trying to remember the last Grand Slam

:04:01. > :04:11.final but went the distance. Del Potro and Federer, that went the

:04:11. > :04:17.

:04:17. > :04:27.He was involved in probably the greatest of them all, 2008

:04:27. > :04:44.

:04:44. > :04:54.Wimbledon, the Nadal-a Federer They could hold. One of the more

:04:54. > :05:14.

:05:14. > :05:18.comfortable holds -- a good. The faithful in this Rod Laver

:05:18. > :05:25.Arena really getting into the contest now. They have loved it all

:05:25. > :05:31.the way through, but how can you not love watching Nadal compete?

:05:31. > :05:37.The man from a little fishing village, who knew a great sporting

:05:37. > :05:47.great would come from there. Good footwork from the ball boy. Lovely

:05:47. > :06:21.

:06:21. > :06:31.But that this one come back into the court. Side spin and tops been

:06:31. > :06:31.

:06:31. > :07:44.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:07:45. > :07:52.Some huge forehands in this game. Flattening out that forehand a

:07:52. > :08:02.little bit there, really stepping in. Taking chances, the only way

:08:02. > :08:02.

:08:02. > :09:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:09:04. > :09:10.The 24-year-old Serbian, are Novak Djokovic, the Master of the

:09:10. > :09:20.spectacular but efficient -- Novak Djokovic. The emotion of the arena

:09:20. > :09:42.

:09:42. > :09:45.Fantastic game to win for the Fantastic game to win for the

:09:45. > :09:52.defending champion. Because there was real danger, Nadal was lapping

:09:52. > :09:56.up -- whipping up a bit of a Spanish frenzy in here. You are

:09:56. > :10:00.absolutely right, but was a good game to come through, because that

:10:00. > :10:10.was the first time for a while there had been a better the threat

:10:10. > :10:18.

:10:18. > :10:23.there had been a better the threat Neither player has had to go the

:10:23. > :10:31.distance in the championship... Oh, actually, the semi-final against

:10:31. > :10:37.Andy Murray, that went the distance. A Nadal has not been pushed. He has

:10:37. > :10:47.been marginally longer on court in the last six matches than Djokovic,

:10:47. > :10:49.

:10:50. > :10:53.even though Djokovic had that five It comes down to enormous amounts

:10:54. > :10:59.of will power. The body goes through ebbs and flows, as does the

:10:59. > :11:09.mind, or in a five-set contest. The bottles are placed where they

:11:09. > :11:25.

:11:25. > :11:35.should be, I am not sure the ice is. The tape had it got a little wet

:11:35. > :11:35.

:11:35. > :12:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:12:32. > :12:37.UMPIRE: Knock a bit -- Djokovic is challenging the call on the left-

:12:37. > :12:42.hand baseline. The ball was called out. As you might expect from a

:12:42. > :12:45.Djokovic return, it was on the line and again, he will feel a little

:12:45. > :12:49.bit cross about that because he doesn't care if he will get an

:12:49. > :12:59.opportunity or make a return as good as that. The chances are, he

:12:59. > :12:59.

:12:59. > :13:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:13:59. > :14:09.Here comes the march to the net to look at the mark. It is certainly a

:14:09. > :14:10.

:14:10. > :14:15.bit late now. As a tennis ball loses pace, rather like a golf ball,

:14:15. > :14:25.the spin takes more affect and at the end of the trajectory, it will

:14:25. > :14:25.

:14:25. > :16:01.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:16:02. > :16:11.fade away. That is what happened on Harton that time for Nadal fans,

:16:12. > :16:12.

:16:12. > :17:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:17:04. > :17:07.Two superb angles on that last point, the angled serve and the

:17:07. > :17:15.point, the angled serve and the angled backhand. An immense hold.

:17:15. > :17:19.It was certainly close after that 30-30 point, he got away with the

:17:19. > :17:29.forehand and the backhand finished the game. Slightly off-centre hit

:17:29. > :18:02.

:18:02. > :18:07.That was the perfect angle to watch that from. A Nadal recovering to

:18:07. > :18:13.his backhand side and a Djokovic, with excellent disguise, but just

:18:13. > :18:20.missing the backhand drop shot. A strange start to the game in some

:18:20. > :18:30.ways. Strange shot to attempt or not? Either way, what can Nadal do

:18:30. > :18:30.

:18:30. > :19:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:19:17. > :19:22.Nothing left for that serve, it is Such a big point, that. You are

:19:23. > :19:27.getting closer to the business side of the set, he is in the rally, and

:19:27. > :19:31.it is a backhand he would normally not miss. D think he is caught in

:19:31. > :19:41.two minds, whether to attack all go back -- do you think? I think that

:19:41. > :19:41.

:19:41. > :20:44.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:20:44. > :20:50.Two players that have gone the extra mile, he left Serbia to go to

:20:50. > :20:56.Munich for a couple of years when he was just 12. Nadal, we know how

:20:56. > :21:01.hearts -- how much hard work he has done and the sacrifices you have to

:21:01. > :21:04.done and the sacrifices you have to make to put the work on court. It

:21:05. > :21:09.is the will to win now. If you have done the work, you know you can

:21:09. > :21:15.stay in there. But over five hours, your mind changes, your body

:21:15. > :21:19.changes, the actual physical chemistry. It is the toughest thing

:21:20. > :21:24.in our sport. We said yesterday that we hope the Grand Slams will

:21:24. > :21:28.never go to three sets, there were talks about it because of the

:21:28. > :21:33.television times, but this is what separates the rest of the tour, the

:21:33. > :21:43.ups and downs, mentally and physically, of five sets. That is

:21:43. > :22:00.

:22:00. > :22:04.It is possible they had changed ends for the last time. Djokovic is

:22:04. > :22:11.ends for the last time. Djokovic is two games away from the title. But

:22:11. > :22:21.that is a country mile when you are facing this man. Serving second in

:22:21. > :22:36.

:22:36. > :22:45.this 4th set, always under pressure, That is good. The Spaniard will

:22:45. > :22:51.have a look at that. He couldn't have run down there and placed it

:22:51. > :23:01.any better. It hit the outside edge. Incredible. It looked like it was

:23:01. > :23:35.

:23:35. > :23:41.That is world class. That acknowledged by Toni Nadal, that is

:23:41. > :23:48.good to see, good sportsmanship. What is supposed to do? It look

:23:48. > :23:51.like Nadal's point. He looked odds- on favourite, but he digs it back

:23:51. > :23:57.solo that Nadal can't do much with it and it goes back behind him

:23:57. > :24:07.again. -- So Below. It is scintillating play. It is the

:24:07. > :24:13.

:24:14. > :24:17.defence as much as the offence of What a game he has played so far.

:24:17. > :24:23.Right at the crucial stage of the match, he has played probably three

:24:23. > :24:27.of his best points. I think Nadal has got a three per first serves in

:24:27. > :24:37.in this game and nothing to show for it. -- Three first serves. He

:24:37. > :25:11.

:25:11. > :25:19.has done the right thing, what can There can he do it twice more?! --

:25:19. > :25:26.now can. Path to do that to win a point... -- do have to do that.

:25:26. > :25:36.That was deep from Nadal, perfect. There was some proper intent on

:25:36. > :25:55.

:25:55. > :26:05.Change upon the serve are, change of direction, smart matchplay -- a

:26:05. > :26:05.

:26:05. > :26:53.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:26:53. > :26:58.I think the heavens have opened here! Three break points saved. Yes,

:26:58. > :27:03.it is definitely coming down. you believe this timing it? Look at

:27:03. > :27:09.this backhand, look at the spin. The safety on it as well as the

:27:09. > :27:14.direction. Superb, behind Djokovic, nothing even he can do to recover.

:27:14. > :27:21.It is an amazing game. Djokovic played probably the best three. He

:27:21. > :27:25.has played and then Nadal has responded. Now a 4th one. It has

:27:25. > :27:33.gone upstairs. I think Djokovic thought it might have been long. I

:27:33. > :27:43.can't believe those three break- points have gone. The ball was good.

:27:43. > :28:07.

:28:07. > :28:16.Well... I doubt think even they can believe he has got out of that. --

:28:16. > :28:21.I don't think. And at the way he got out. The drops are too big now,

:28:21. > :28:28.they are going to have to put the roof on. He will be in touch with

:28:28. > :28:33.Wayne McEwen. It is 20 minutes, isn't it? It will be 20 minutes to

:28:33. > :28:38.bring it across, it is not all the way back at the moment. There is no

:28:38. > :28:44.way they can play on this surface. What a time for this happen. They

:28:44. > :28:49.had the roof closed earlier on before the final... Here comes Wain,

:28:49. > :28:57.he used to work in a bank in this city, it is much more exciting be

:28:57. > :29:04.the referee of the Australian Open -- Wayne McEwen. It is rain and it

:29:04. > :29:09.is wet too. It is definitely too wet. It is dangerous, they can't

:29:10. > :29:15.play. Away they go. There is no way play. Away they go. There is no way

:29:15. > :29:22.you can play. What a time for this to happen and what a blow for

:29:22. > :29:32.Djokovic. He should be serving for this. This will be a tough time for

:29:32. > :29:36.

:29:36. > :29:46.him. "Are you seeing what I am saying it".

:29:46. > :29:47.

:29:47. > :29:51.UMPIRE: Ladies and gentlemen, we are expecting 50 mm of rain

:29:51. > :30:01.overnight. But the roof will be closed and that the match will

:30:01. > :30:03.

:30:03. > :30:08.I hope they all saw the job description before they took the

:30:08. > :30:12.job on! You may end up on your hands and knees scrubbing the court.

:30:12. > :30:17.It is kinder than old-fashioned way of doing it. They still do this at

:30:17. > :30:26.the US Open, of course. As soon as you get to 30, there is no way you

:30:26. > :30:34.can do this, because you cannot get up again. Has it actually stopped

:30:34. > :30:44.yet? No. It looks like it is not raining any more. Is that closing?

:30:44. > :30:52.

:30:52. > :30:57.Can you imagine what is going through both players minds? Novak

:30:57. > :31:06.looks extremely composed. He might be re- running a couple of those

:31:06. > :31:10.points in his head. After four hours and two minutes... You really

:31:10. > :31:18.can't afford to be thinking too negatively. Physically, you hang by

:31:18. > :31:28.a thread. Mentally, you are hanging by a thread. This is where it

:31:28. > :31:38.

:31:38. > :31:45.training comes in. You take on to Milan Amanovic and Gebhard Phil-

:31:45. > :31:48.Gritsch, who used to work with Thomas Muster. There is a another

:31:48. > :31:52.warrior in the court alongside Marian Vajda from the Czech

:31:52. > :32:02.Republic, who played some tour tennis, won a couple of tournaments,

:32:02. > :32:06.was just outside the top 30. He has done so much for Novak Djokovic.

:32:06. > :32:10.The roof comes over and we are glad we have got one, because we are

:32:10. > :32:15.going to see the end of this final. It is still hard to pick a winner,

:32:15. > :32:19.I suppose. You have to think Djokovic is in the driving seat,

:32:19. > :32:24.but I would have been a blow, to lose that game. SUE BARKER:

:32:25. > :32:29.Absolutely, all those chances. The manner in which Nadal held serve,

:32:29. > :32:33.Djokovic did not do a lot wrong. He served well, he did incredibly well.

:32:33. > :32:39.I am amazed at these workers, they have got them doing this while the

:32:39. > :32:43.roof was still open, they are going to have to go back and do it again.

:32:43. > :32:48.It is such a shame that this final has stopped. Will it affect the

:32:48. > :32:56.momentum of either player? Novak is the one sitting at this break,

:32:56. > :33:02.thinking about missed opportunities. Exactly. It was not as if he played

:33:02. > :33:08.any bad points. They were the three best points that Nadal has played

:33:08. > :33:13.in the whole match, and he was about to lose the finals. Quite

:33:13. > :33:19.extraordinary. That passage of play, for Djokovic to get to 0-40 was

:33:19. > :33:24.brilliant. Then Nadal went another level to hold to deuce and then to

:33:24. > :33:28.hold the serve. Staggering tennis from both players. In some ways, it

:33:28. > :33:34.shows you what Rafa has to do to try to stay with Djokovic. As long

:33:34. > :33:39.as Djokovic doesn't get dispirited by missing that opportunity, he

:33:39. > :33:44.does look like he is the winner out there.

:33:44. > :33:47.ANDREW CASTLE: I agree. It is great fun, watching this group of players,

:33:47. > :33:51.each with different backgrounds. They have come together in this

:33:51. > :33:54.wonderful era and they are bringing the best out of each other. I don't

:33:54. > :33:57.think Nadal would be playing this well if Djokovic wasn't around. I

:33:57. > :34:02.don't think he would have been the same player without Federer to push

:34:02. > :34:05.him first. You can see this progression of brilliance on the

:34:05. > :34:11.men's side, and in the women as well. Things change over time, but

:34:11. > :34:15.what an era it is. SUE BARKER: When you say that, think back a few

:34:15. > :34:18.years, we were saying that Federer is in a different league. Then

:34:19. > :34:25.along comes rougher and totally dominates, we think nobody is going

:34:25. > :34:35.to touch rougher. And then along comes Novak. It is unbelievable --

:34:35. > :34:42.

:34:42. > :34:46.Frightening to think what is going to come next. You never know what

:34:46. > :34:51.Ivan Lendl will do with Andy Murray. We will see. Let's take the

:34:51. > :34:57.opportunity to look back at some of the points. This is Rafael Nadal,

:34:57. > :35:03.really picking the wrong option. He had the shot, but just picked the

:35:03. > :35:06.wrong side. You would think you might be able to get away with it

:35:06. > :35:14.now and again. But if you make any wrong decisions, the ball is passed

:35:14. > :35:19.you so fast. This one, the way Djokovic just gets so tight to the

:35:19. > :35:23.base line. Rafa is trying to get to the baseline, trying to stay with

:35:23. > :35:29.him, he has been angled out with the pace and the accuracy of

:35:29. > :35:34.Djokovic's ground strokes. This is Djokovic, toying with the world

:35:34. > :35:38.number two. Yes, there have been quite a lot of it, where it looks

:35:38. > :35:44.like Djokovic has been in total control of a rally. He never looks

:35:44. > :35:49.like he is out of it. You always feel he has got a chance. It is

:35:49. > :35:54.happening so fast out there on the court. It is amazing, he looks to

:35:55. > :36:01.be on the back foot and he manages to turn the whole rally around.

:36:01. > :36:07.have been busy picking points out. You have got some good ones. Here

:36:07. > :36:13.is one for Rafael fans. This is the shot that got him back. He was down

:36:13. > :36:18.the break point. That was unbelievable. Three virtual match

:36:18. > :36:24.points and he came through and played the best tennis. The roof is

:36:24. > :36:28.It really does show what an unbelievable competitor Rafael

:36:28. > :36:33.Nadal is. I have been thinking, how is he ever going to get his way

:36:33. > :36:41.back into the match, and he has managed to do it. Now it is maybe

:36:41. > :36:45.Djokovic questioning himself. will talk for years about the

:36:45. > :36:50.greatness of Rafa and his influence on the game, but you have to put

:36:50. > :36:54.these things into historical context. Rafa is looking for an

:36:54. > :37:00.11th Grand Slam. He is only 25. Only one man has got there a

:37:00. > :37:04.younger. That was Bjorn Borg. Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver have won 11

:37:04. > :37:08.Grand Slams, that is what Nadal is going for. We are looking at a

:37:08. > :37:13.great champion. And they know how to compete, and they trust their

:37:13. > :37:19.technique under the greatest of pressure. When we talk about this

:37:19. > :37:24.great era, if you look at the top three, this is awesome. The Grand

:37:24. > :37:29.Slams that they have won. Well Roger's total ever be beaten? We

:37:29. > :37:35.wondered if Rafael Nadal might be able to challenger, then along

:37:35. > :37:39.comes Djokovic and he is beginning to chalk up a number himself.

:37:39. > :37:46.many more French opens are we going to give Rafa if you're going to end

:37:46. > :37:52.up with a total? This year, with no back playing the amazing semi-final,

:37:52. > :37:58.you have got to put Novak in the frame for a clay court Tote --

:37:58. > :38:02.title. Absolutely. The French will be as fascinating, for sure. These

:38:02. > :38:10.could be in the final for many it Slams to come. I think they are

:38:10. > :38:15.about to start, back to you. A look break for both players. They

:38:15. > :38:19.have been away from the court for 10 minutes. Djokovic has just lost

:38:19. > :38:29.a game, from three break points up. It would have left him serving for

:38:29. > :38:30.

:38:30. > :39:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:39:55. > :40:01.the championship. But it is 4-4 in And he has come up with a very calm

:40:01. > :40:11.mind -- come out with. I don't know how he plays with that cross around

:40:11. > :40:11.

:40:11. > :41:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:41:13. > :41:23.his neck. It is a tough cross to I don't understand how you can do

:41:23. > :41:27.

:41:27. > :41:37.some of this. Look at the lunch, And a cooked forehand -- a hook

:41:37. > :41:38.

:41:38. > :41:42.What a response from the disappointment of the game before.

:41:42. > :41:46.He has maintained his composure a bit of blue. Perhaps the mind would

:41:46. > :41:49.have been racing a little bit more if he had had to come out

:41:49. > :41:56.straightaway for but either way, you have got to hit the shots and

:41:56. > :42:06.doesn't he? The purity of the ball strike is beyond belief. Once again,

:42:06. > :42:11.

:42:11. > :42:14.Nadal has to come out and play his SUE BARKER: If you are tuning in

:42:14. > :42:19.and expecting to see highlights of the European figure-skating

:42:19. > :42:21.championships, we are staying with the tennis. It will be shown on the

:42:21. > :42:25.red button, available on all red button, available on all

:42:26. > :42:29.platforms, at 1:00pm. And the programme will be shown tomorrow

:42:29. > :42:39.afternoon at 1:00pm on BBC Two. For now, we are staying with this great

:42:39. > :42:40.

:42:40. > :42:48.The first major final of 2012. There are five of them this year.

:42:48. > :42:58.The four Grand Slams, and the Olympics as well. A big year for

:42:58. > :43:12.

:43:12. > :43:22.Danger again for a no doubt, or three points from losing this. --

:43:22. > :43:22.

:43:22. > :47:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:47:09. > :47:12.A big "come on" as the ball was The crowd love it, Nadal loves it.

:47:12. > :47:17.The crowd love it, Nadal loves it. He saved himself. He is back on

:47:17. > :47:19.equal terms in this 4th set. Already well over an hour in this

:47:19. > :47:28.Already well over an hour in this set alone. It is all on the line,

:47:28. > :47:32.here. SUE BARKER: This is a match and we are staying with it. If you

:47:32. > :47:35.asked the -- tuning in for the European figure skating

:47:35. > :47:40.championships, that is being shown on the red button and will be

:47:40. > :47:50.repeated tomorrow afternoon on BBC Two. We can't leave this one, can

:47:50. > :48:15.

:48:15. > :48:18.I am sort of looking forward to the tie-break in this set. I have got a

:48:18. > :48:28.feeling there is quite a bit of tennis to be played before we get

:48:28. > :48:56.

:48:56. > :49:06.A mishit return of serve ended up being quite a difficult shot for

:49:06. > :49:45.

:49:45. > :49:51.Djokovic to contend with. It ended Tried to force the issue, Nadal,

:49:51. > :50:01.stepped in early. Went cross court but didn't do enough with it. It is

:50:01. > :50:01.

:50:01. > :50:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:50:55. > :51:00.inside the baseline, that's too Djokovic was 4-3 up and 40 love

:51:00. > :51:10.before a rain break. He had break points, he lost it. Now he is the

:51:10. > :51:18.

:51:18. > :51:23.Oh! I mean, it that is on a sixpence. It is on a 10 pence coin.

:51:23. > :51:28.He couldn't have placed it any better. The obvious shop was to go

:51:28. > :51:38.back across court. You could see Nadal in in that way, then he went

:51:38. > :51:38.

:51:38. > :52:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:52:26. > :52:29.What can you say about those two What can you say about those two

:52:29. > :52:35.points from 30-30. The backhand down the line, he has hit the ball

:52:35. > :52:44.about 75 or 80 ft with reverse spin. Into exactly the space where he

:52:44. > :52:49.wanted to. And that was a grind of a point, Djokovic was going nowhere.

:52:49. > :52:55.It is another step towards the title as far as the Djokovic is

:52:55. > :53:03.concerned. This is a set where it has been an advantage to be serving

:53:03. > :53:09.first. Definitely. How much conscious thought is going on with

:53:09. > :53:13.these players, at the instinct level only? It is the cliche of one

:53:13. > :53:21.point at a time. Let the instinct take over. They know what they have

:53:21. > :53:31.got to do. The court there thought is the next point, one point at a

:53:31. > :54:00.

:54:00. > :54:07.time. -- off their thought -- off He was in trouble at 34 and at fore

:54:07. > :54:17.five -- at 3-4, and four-5. Now it is 5-6 Andy has to serve again to

:54:17. > :54:17.

:54:17. > :55:14.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:55:14. > :55:17.the best returner in the game. -- A good backhand from Nadal, a good

:55:17. > :55:22.angle. You have got to force Djokovic to hit winners from that

:55:22. > :55:32.position. If he can do it from there, you have to say, too good.

:55:32. > :55:32.

:55:32. > :56:35.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:56:35. > :56:40.Put him in an awkward position, at A great feeling to have a game like

:56:40. > :56:46.that, going into a tie-break. Very comfortable, no messing about, no

:56:46. > :56:50.energy spent. Djokovic, after this return, letting no doubt it is a

:56:50. > :56:54.winner, no. Chasing down a lost cause. After 4 1/2 hours of a Grand

:56:54. > :57:04.Slam final. Nadal must win this tie-break to stay in the

:57:04. > :57:19.

:57:19. > :57:29.Djokovic, looking to defend the Australian Open title. He won in

:57:29. > :57:29.

:57:29. > :58:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:58:17. > :58:22.That is scary tennis from both Baseline ball from Nadal in the

:58:22. > :58:32.middle of that rally, and right after that, he let fly with that

:58:32. > :58:36.forehand. Just that injection of pace that he brought into that. He

:58:36. > :58:46.got out of the way of the ball and just nailed it. Look at the angles

:58:46. > :58:46.

:58:46. > :00:14.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:00:14. > :00:20.Oh, that was a bonus for Djokovic. Nadal knows he missed a chance

:00:20. > :00:25.there. The Serbian was fully committed after that backhand down

:00:25. > :00:35.the line, and it left the court open. And Nadal missed it. He will

:00:35. > :00:35.

:00:35. > :01:46.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:01:46. > :01:56.consider it a beak error. -- a big Top of the net. Unlucky. The right

:01:56. > :01:56.

:01:56. > :02:06.shot to play? At yes. Three very good service in this tie-breaker,

:02:06. > :02:07.

:02:07. > :02:11.to Nadal. He was robbed by the top of the net, also on the backhand.

:02:11. > :02:21.By the time she plays the next point he will have got rid of all

:02:21. > :02:21.

:02:21. > :03:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:03:22. > :03:28.The ball was weighed four Nadal. -- wide for Nadal. He is checking. I

:03:28. > :03:38.do not know why he is checking, desperate, desperate. A longer

:03:38. > :03:38.

:03:38. > :03:48.break, I suppose. Djokovic, of what our response. Two

:03:48. > :03:51.

:03:51. > :04:01.points against the serve midway A bit of angst in the play a's box,

:04:01. > :04:36.

:04:36. > :04:46.Not even Nadal's superhuman powers of Defence could do anything with

:04:46. > :04:47.

:04:47. > :05:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:05:39. > :05:48.that one. Talk about trusting your And will that be challenged? I

:05:49. > :05:56.

:05:56. > :06:06.think all, or has he pointed to the He would have had three match

:06:06. > :06:06.

:06:06. > :06:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:06:52. > :07:00.points if he won that point, but I swear, Nadal had his bike to the

:07:00. > :07:10.net when he was defending, his backhand side, unbelievable.

:07:10. > :07:20.

:07:20. > :07:30.That ball staying just low enough to make the Serbian's life

:07:30. > :07:54.

:07:54. > :08:04.He is digging as deep as he ever had to. And that first serve des

:08:04. > :08:27.

:08:27. > :08:37.Nadal Asset. Back -- Asset point to That is out! We are going the

:08:37. > :08:57.

:08:57. > :09:04.It almost looked at like he had won the championship when he sank to

:09:04. > :09:11.his knees. It must feel like he has. Incredible, the force of will from

:09:11. > :09:20.Nadal. How he won that set, he just dug in. There were times it looked

:09:20. > :09:26.like it was all over, and he keeps on clawing -- clawing back. The

:09:26. > :09:36.first Serbs suddenly found space, it was unbelievable. How even is

:09:36. > :09:37.

:09:37. > :09:45.that? Winners, unforced errors... Pick something out of that. Amazing,

:09:45. > :09:49.what quality. What a sector. We talk about the effect of the Andrew

:09:49. > :09:59.Murray match, but it was going to have an effect it will have effect

:09:59. > :10:00.

:10:00. > :10:06.Each one of these sets has been remarkable in its own way. These

:10:06. > :10:16.two have never gone five sets. Amazing. That is something to look

:10:16. > :10:22.

:10:22. > :10:27.Nadal has been thinking about Djokovic every step of the way

:10:27. > :10:30.since that US Open loss that was so tough to take, and Wimbledon, where

:10:31. > :10:35.he stole his world number one ranking as well as the Wimbledon

:10:35. > :10:40.title. He has made one or two changes, but he would be thinking

:10:40. > :10:45.about having a chance at having a pop at him. Breakfast, lunch and

:10:45. > :10:49.dinner he will be thinking about it. What a warrior this man is. He has

:10:49. > :10:55.found a way back into this match, and we will be back for that fifth

:10:55. > :10:58.set. If you are tuning in expecting to see the European figure skating

:10:58. > :11:06.championships, that is being shown on the BBC red button. It will be

:11:06. > :11:13.repeated tomorrow on BBC Two at 1pm. Here we go for a fifth set, who

:11:13. > :11:23.wanted the most? We will find out most -- we will find out soon.

:11:23. > :11:27.

:11:27. > :11:37.doubt, both players are absolutely Djokovic sold close, three break

:11:37. > :11:42.point he had at 4-3. Nadal played a great game to get out of it.

:11:42. > :11:52.wonderful tie-break, and now it is quite simple from here. Just one

:11:52. > :11:52.

:11:52. > :13:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:13:48. > :13:58.Almost five hours and termites, and you can hit a ball like this?

:13:58. > :13:59.

:13:59. > :15:25.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:15:25. > :15:32.a forehand, it has to be the best That is a tidy way to finish the

:15:32. > :15:37.game. It has some snap on that serve, now. He did this in the tie-

:15:37. > :15:43.breaker, a couple of big serves. Extra weight on the top of the

:15:43. > :15:49.racket, we understand, a few grams here and there. I would be

:15:49. > :15:54.surprised if it was alleged tape, I have not seen the rackets first

:15:54. > :16:04.hand. They must have wilted into the frames by now, he would have

:16:04. > :16:05.

:16:05. > :16:13.requested that to get a bit more snap. I think the umpire is saying

:16:13. > :16:22.hurry up. Play is supposed to be continuous. This is like a normal

:16:22. > :16:32.changeover, it is not supposed to A serious case of product placement

:16:32. > :16:48.

:16:48. > :16:53.Both these players at times take a ridiculous amount of time between

:16:53. > :16:57.points, but the umpire is doing a good job. If they are not

:16:57. > :17:02.disturbing each other, forget it. This is a very intimate thing, the

:17:02. > :17:12.fifth set between two players in a big match. We just happen to be

:17:12. > :17:47.

:17:47. > :17:56.The physical conditioning of these two is very impressive. Obviously,

:17:56. > :18:00.Nadal's has always been known as an animal or boat thereunder court.

:18:00. > :18:07.Djokovic played five hours two days ago against Andy Murray, and this

:18:07. > :18:10.match is the same duration. The I think if he were to win this,

:18:10. > :18:15.certainly it would be the most impressive set he has ever played.

:18:15. > :18:19.If he digs himself out of this one, after the physicality of the Andy

:18:19. > :18:27.Murray match, and then come through against Nadal in another five-hour

:18:27. > :18:37.match, this has to be the toughest much she has ever played. -- match

:18:37. > :18:38.

:18:38. > :18:48.The longest match ever played at the Australian Open was five hours

:18:48. > :18:48.

:18:48. > :19:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:19:39. > :19:49.and 14 minutes, and that was He is just trying to keep himself

:19:49. > :20:18.

:20:18. > :20:25.The umpire is less inclined to intervene with the overruled these

:20:25. > :20:35.days because we have hoc five. The ball was good, Djokovic will be

:20:35. > :20:35.

:20:35. > :22:54.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:22:54. > :23:01.He is no proven -- he is serving so Still pretty much a full crowd in

:23:01. > :23:06.there, approaching 1am. That as the sort of game that you want and the

:23:06. > :23:10.fifth set. It takes the pressure off, you don't have to dig deep or

:23:10. > :23:15.give too many of your limited resources away. But does not tax

:23:15. > :23:20.the mind. An advantage to be serving first in the fifth?

:23:20. > :23:25.Definitely. Not always a believer in that, but on this occasion,

:23:25. > :23:29.definitely. From the end part of the fourth and beginning of the

:23:29. > :23:37.fifth, it is like he has decided not to go into the body so much and

:23:38. > :23:44.try and get cheap points. He is hitting them so accurately he is

:23:44. > :23:49.getting some free points. For a large portion of the match it

:23:49. > :23:52.looked like Djokovic was never going to return them deep. He is

:23:52. > :24:00.bound to be feeling flat at the moment, isn't he? He had every

:24:00. > :24:03.chance to win the match and the previous Sat. The legs may not be

:24:03. > :24:09.springing after the ball like they should, it would be tough not to

:24:09. > :24:15.after the last few days. I could not believe I saw him at work --

:24:15. > :24:19.walking upright when he came on after the match two days ago.

:24:19. > :24:29.Approaching five hours of glorious tennis, the first Grand Slam final

:24:29. > :24:29.

:24:29. > :24:33.the year. The top two seeds in action. Nadal's lost to this man at

:24:33. > :24:43.six times in a role, all in finals last year, including two Grand

:24:43. > :24:43.

:24:43. > :26:03.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:26:03. > :26:10.Slams. How badly do you think he That is a great response, that

:26:10. > :26:13.first forehand in that game, he looked a little leg weary to goal

:26:13. > :26:23.after the ball. This one was a lot higher and perhaps easier, but you

:26:23. > :26:23.

:26:23. > :27:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:27:06. > :27:15.can see the ways he really exploded Again, he did not get his feet

:27:15. > :27:25.right. This is a big opportunity, right here. He just did not get the

:27:25. > :27:35.

:27:35. > :27:39.feed right there, he was off What our response. -- what a

:27:39. > :27:45.response. He needs a few cheap points.

:27:45. > :27:48.You never know with Djokovic whether this physical dip will last

:27:48. > :27:58.five or ten minutes, or whether it is for good. So many times he has

:27:58. > :28:21.

:28:21. > :28:31.This is going to the limit, physically, for Djokovic.

:28:31. > :28:50.

:28:50. > :29:00.Well done, first served got him out of trouble. He appears to be

:29:00. > :29:00.

:29:00. > :29:04.running on fumes after five hours, which you can understand. I think

:29:04. > :29:14.the fuel tank empty light might have been on for a few minutes, but,

:29:14. > :29:17.

:29:17. > :29:27.as I say, he has done this again He will be a lot lighter after the

:29:27. > :29:27.

:29:27. > :31:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:31:06. > :31:09.match than he was at the start of We have been so used to seeing him

:31:09. > :31:17.climb all over the second serve at that height, if not hitting a win

:31:17. > :31:23.at then certainly hitting it straight at Nadal. Not that time. -

:31:23. > :31:33.- When a. Nadal knows exactly what is going on and on the other side

:31:33. > :31:40.

:31:40. > :31:50.of the court and he wants to put He had to go for broke.

:31:50. > :31:52.

:31:52. > :32:02.UMPIRE: Mr Djokovic is challenging the call on the right. The ball was

:32:02. > :32:19.

:32:19. > :32:22.And so a holed from Nadal and how this match has changed. -- a halt.

:32:22. > :32:29.this match has changed. -- a halt. 45 minutes ago, an hour ago, this

:32:29. > :32:36.game was absolutely Djokovic's. Three break points at 0-40 on the

:32:36. > :32:40.Nadal serve, which had looked ineffective. Somehow, Nadal

:32:40. > :32:50.survived that and came back to win a tie-break, from a mini-break down,

:32:50. > :32:55.naturally. Brilliant tennis match. You get the feeling that this is a

:32:55. > :33:03.Nadal's territorial now. Djokovic is a great champion but Nadal, five

:33:03. > :33:08.sets, five hours, grinding, this is what he likes. This is where he is

:33:08. > :33:14.in his apartment's face. The only thing he would change is the

:33:15. > :33:19.surface from hard to clay. The that is very true. -- if that is.

:33:19. > :33:21.have seen a brand-new Grand Slam champion ground this weekend,

:33:21. > :33:29.champion ground this weekend, Victoria Azarenka from Belarus,

:33:29. > :33:33.just 22 years of age, and a great ambassador. -- ambassador. She beat

:33:33. > :33:35.Sharapova in straight sets and she will be around for a while, she is

:33:35. > :33:40.will be around for a while, she is number one in the world now. Here

:33:40. > :33:45.is the top man in men's tennis. What will happen this year? Federer

:33:45. > :33:55.hasn't gone away, Andrew Murray has improved in a number of regard, no

:33:55. > :33:55.

:33:55. > :35:07.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:35:07. > :35:11.doubt. And Nadal looks hungry for He is struggling to contract those

:35:11. > :35:13.muscles and then relax and move again. He is struggling with the

:35:13. > :35:21.again. He is struggling with the explosion out of the ball. That is

:35:21. > :35:24.right. You can see, double the right. You can see, double the

:35:24. > :35:34.mistakes. The first serve it becomes very important for Djokovic.

:35:34. > :35:35.

:35:35. > :37:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:37:51. > :38:01.What defence from Nadal! The guy is doing shuttle runs across the

:38:01. > :38:11.baseline, digging the ball out. After five hours! A couple of times,

:38:11. > :38:13.

:38:13. > :38:23.Djokovic maybe should have snuck He is just the man of granite,

:38:23. > :38:23.

:38:23. > :39:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:39:04. > :39:08.That is long. That could be a Those last number point had the

:39:08. > :39:18.feel of a fighter throwing his last punches and still seeing the

:39:18. > :39:18.

:39:18. > :40:14.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:40:14. > :40:24.opponent standing -- those last Sebastian Nadal... He could hardly

:40:24. > :40:24.

:40:24. > :41:53.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:41:53. > :41:57.But there is one thing Nadal knows what -- how to do, it is how to

:41:57. > :42:03.finish an opponent off. He has done it 550 times from a winning

:42:03. > :42:13.position. This one is memorable for the manner in which he has come

:42:13. > :42:31.

:42:31. > :42:41.He has put it wide. I can't believe he has missed it. You could have

:42:41. > :42:41.

:42:41. > :42:51.driven a bus down that line. A very dodgy volley. Nadal made ground and

:42:51. > :42:54.

:42:54. > :43:04.he took this out. -- heat this out. UMPIRE: Nadal has a two challenges

:43:04. > :43:40.

:43:40. > :43:48.How big and how important is that mist, looking from the previous

:43:48. > :43:58.point? -- Miss. It would have been 40-15, and he has opened the door

:43:58. > :44:35.

:44:35. > :44:40.at a crucial time. Not another turn Lyne returned from Djokovic, gutsy.

:44:40. > :44:45.-- line. Nadal cannot believe he missed that ball. And neither can

:44:46. > :44:50.we, unbelievable. Memories of the Andy Murray semi-final last year

:44:50. > :44:54.Andy Murray semi-final last year when he was a set-up against Nadal

:44:54. > :44:59.and missed at a high forehand. I was as shocked then as with what I

:44:59. > :45:06.have just seen. It was an absolute stone-cold winner. It was looking

:45:06. > :45:16.like a relatively easy game of for this stage of the match, 40-15.

:45:16. > :45:16.

:45:16. > :45:20.This is now officially the longest match in Australian Open history.

:45:20. > :45:30.The previous longest, he was involved as well and he won it

:45:30. > :45:35.

:45:35. > :45:42.against his mate Verdasco. What a It is 1 o'clock in the morning over

:45:42. > :45:52.there. Get the coffee at. She has got another lease of life as well,

:45:52. > :45:57.

:45:57. > :46:07.Whereof we have to on the time? Where has that clock on for --

:46:07. > :46:07.

:46:07. > :46:50.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:46:50. > :46:53.5:17am. Better cancel the practice Just the difference now in the way

:46:53. > :47:03.they are walking around the court. Nadal is sprinting everywhere,

:47:03. > :47:03.

:47:03. > :48:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:48:05. > :48:14.Djokovic is slowly slumping back This is just combat. This is just a

:48:14. > :48:24.staggering! -- just staggering. is enjoying the contest, why not?

:48:24. > :48:27.

:48:27. > :48:37.Unbelievable. Not going to forget Perfect height for it, didn't have

:48:37. > :49:13.

:49:14. > :49:21.I hate to think how many times he bounced the ball during this last

:49:21. > :49:31.two matches, at this and the semi- final, 10 hours of tennis. I'm not

:49:31. > :49:31.

:49:31. > :50:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:50:57. > :50:59.sure Nadal wasn't a little The players cannot afford to look

:50:59. > :51:03.The players cannot afford to look back too far in a match like this,

:51:03. > :51:08.when they are pulling on all of their reserves and their training

:51:08. > :51:18.and their discipline and their obsession with the sport. But that

:51:18. > :51:19.

:51:19. > :51:29.still thinking about the 4-2, Rafa had half the court to aim at and

:51:29. > :52:08.

:52:08. > :52:18.You have got to be... This is a joke!, off a bit at smacked a

:52:18. > :52:18.

:52:18. > :53:43.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:53:43. > :53:46.Rafa says, are let's do it again! The great Australian Harry Hoffman

:53:46. > :53:56.used to say if players are playing drop shot, it is because they

:53:56. > :54:12.

:54:12. > :54:20.haven't got enough left under run UMPIRE: Mr Djokovic is challenging

:54:21. > :54:30.the call. This gives them the time to rest, anyway. If... He has made

:54:31. > :54:31.

:54:31. > :55:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:55:55. > :56:00.Called out. Are you sure? He has the right to challenge. He knows

:56:00. > :56:08.that forehand didn't feel right of the racket, and suddenly, Djokovic

:56:08. > :56:18.is looking for a third game in a row. He is two. Us up from the

:56:18. > :56:35.

:56:35. > :56:42.Oh, yes. What are timed to flatten that one out, he went for it. --

:56:42. > :56:52.what a time. It has been a big feature in this blast set and a

:56:52. > :57:22.

:57:22. > :57:30.half, his first serve has just been The world number one senses that

:57:30. > :57:37.this could be his moment. Perfect but work, in swinging serve, makes

:57:37. > :57:47.enough room -- perfect for at work. It looks so simple and it is so

:57:47. > :58:25.

:58:25. > :58:32.He has dragged it wide. Where has this come from. Incredible.

:58:32. > :58:37.where has this come from? That challenge that people seem to think

:58:37. > :58:47.was out clip 10 at the back of the line, and Hick since then, he has

:58:47. > :58:47.

:58:47. > :59:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:59:40. > :59:44.How about bad for a match player? - Nadal not holding back again on

:59:44. > :59:48.that serve, he is not thinking about it just getting in there, he

:59:48. > :59:54.is going for the big one and that one came off again beautifully. He

:59:54. > :00:04.kept his nerve on the drop shot as well. Great recovery by Djokovic

:00:04. > :00:04.

:00:04. > :00:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:00:56. > :01:02.And it is Nadal who is one game There haven't been any better Grand

:01:02. > :01:06.Slam matches than this final. Obviously, thoughts of 2008,

:01:06. > :01:13.Wimbledon, with it all on the line, Federer and Nadal, that was a

:01:13. > :01:18.changing of the guard. But this is right up there. It is, no question

:01:18. > :01:22.about it. It is staggering, the way they are still playing, at this

:01:22. > :01:28.stage of the match. It is difficult to predict what is going to happen.

:01:28. > :01:33.You have got no idea. One moment Nadal looks like he is in charge,

:01:33. > :01:43.then Djokovic comes back. That game was from nowhere, then that rescued

:01:43. > :01:43.

:01:43. > :02:58.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:02:58. > :03:01.serve at break point down, swinging Against most other players in the

:03:01. > :03:11.draw, this rally would have been over a couple of times. They are

:03:11. > :03:11.

:03:11. > :04:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:04:59. > :05:09.covering the court so well. Look at Total double faults, 6, in a 5 1/2

:05:09. > :05:10.

:05:10. > :05:20.Clean, clinical game, up until that point. Under the greatest of

:05:20. > :05:20.

:05:20. > :06:58.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:06:58. > :07:02.Apart from the double fault, a Djokovic, waiting for a chance to

:07:02. > :07:08.open up the court, and he took it. He thought he had done enough, he

:07:08. > :07:18.did not expect that. Expecting the forehand hook back across court. It

:07:18. > :07:18.

:07:18. > :08:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:08:38. > :08:44.went behind him. A brilliant start It was always going to be a key

:08:44. > :08:54.part of this match. How would Nadal part of this match. How would Nadal

:08:54. > :08:54.

:08:54. > :10:19.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:10:19. > :10:26.cope when he missed the first serve. This is magnificent. Nadal had to

:10:26. > :10:34.the ball the Djokovic return, to even start the rally, it arrived in

:10:34. > :10:44.such pace. After that, it was just scrambling, moving, all about

:10:44. > :10:44.

:10:44. > :11:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:11:41. > :11:47.It actually landed so short in the service box, it went away with the

:11:47. > :11:57.spin to the Djokovic backhand. After that, it was too much ground

:11:57. > :12:34.

:12:34. > :12:42.Wide. Oh, somebody in the crowd, I

:12:42. > :12:51.think... Had said out, down at the Nadal end on the Djokovic ground

:12:51. > :13:01.serve. Rafa saying, that put me off. I'm afraid even if that is the case,

:13:01. > :13:20.

:13:20. > :13:23.you're not going to get away with And a break it is, I don't know how

:13:23. > :13:33.And a break it is, I don't know how he's done it, but he has. He will

:13:33. > :13:35.

:13:35. > :13:39.be serving for the Australian Open. Four of the sets, well over an hour

:13:39. > :13:42.each. It is a record for the each. It is a record for the

:13:42. > :13:52.Australian Open in terms of trade - - duration of match. I think it

:13:52. > :13:53.

:13:53. > :13:57.must be a record for the sheer passion. Where has Djokovic got

:13:57. > :14:01.this energy from? It is incredible. Talk about being in good shape.

:14:01. > :14:05.After the match against Murray, to come back against Nadal for this

:14:05. > :14:10.length of match, playing the sorts of shots he is playing, and the

:14:11. > :14:14.movement. And his reactions are still absolutely there. The turn of

:14:14. > :14:24.the first serve at break point came right out of the middle, it is like

:14:24. > :14:27.

:14:27. > :14:37.a rifle shot. What a game this is There are no tie-breaks if required

:14:37. > :15:06.

:15:06. > :15:09.in the 5th set. But Nadal need to He has served for this championship

:15:09. > :15:19.on two other occasions. And managed on two other occasions. And managed

:15:19. > :15:19.

:15:19. > :17:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:17:27. > :17:31.He has had so many balls landing on the back edge of that line, not

:17:31. > :17:40.this time. That was just to give himself a bit more time between the

:17:40. > :17:50.points, there. He knew that one was out. He remains two points from the

:17:50. > :18:25.

:18:25. > :18:33.No! What a get from Nadal! It isn't the best part of his game,

:18:33. > :18:43.Djokovic, the overhead. You don't want one of those, almost six hours

:18:43. > :18:43.

:18:43. > :19:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:19:52. > :20:02.Oh! He is a magician! How did he What a spectacle this matches, what

:20:02. > :20:02.

:20:02. > :20:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:20:51. > :21:01.an advert for the sport. He was 30 Oh! That is two more points, that

:21:01. > :21:08.

:21:08. > :21:18.I don't care how long the average rally is, that one, that was gutsy.

:21:18. > :21:18.

:21:18. > :21:58.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:21:59. > :22:04.Oh, it is unlucky, of the top of the net. -- off the top. But it

:22:04. > :22:14.wasn't high enough over the net, simply will as that. -- simple as

:22:14. > :22:41.

:22:41. > :22:51.that. This epic Australian Open It's over! You have to say... The

:22:51. > :23:29.

:23:29. > :23:39.man deserves it. Incredible. Five hours and 53 minutes. And at

:23:39. > :23:42.

:23:42. > :23:51.the end, an outpouring that we can I can't believe he had enough

:23:51. > :24:01.energy to actually rip his shirt open. But that is... They went very

:24:01. > :24:13.

:24:13. > :24:17.Thoughts for Rafa Nadal, who are more than played his part in this

:24:17. > :24:22.wonderful Australian Open Championship. The match really was

:24:22. > :24:26.his in the 5th set, but it was Djokovic's in the 4th. So you have

:24:26. > :24:32.to say it is swings and roundabouts. The back and that he missed at 4-2

:24:32. > :24:36.up, it would have given him 40-15 on his own serve, and he missed it.

:24:36. > :24:41.It is like the biggest open goal you have seen. That could have been

:24:41. > :24:48.the difference. But every sinew he has strained to get through first

:24:48. > :24:54.Murray, in the semi-final, who was magnificent himself, and now this,

:24:54. > :24:57.two days later, it is beyond belief. The greatness we talked about last

:24:57. > :25:02.year with Novak Djokovic was a year that would probably never be

:25:02. > :25:08.repeated, but this match to me was the most important it -- important

:25:08. > :25:12.match of his career. To have beaten who he beat, with Rafa Nadal, from

:25:12. > :25:16.this position, after playing against Murray in the semi-finals,

:25:16. > :25:21.and being a break down in the 5th, he has gone up a level in all the

:25:21. > :25:27.other players' eyes as well. The respect they will have, to go toe-

:25:27. > :25:32.to-toe with Nadal from that exhaustion, is unbelievable. Nadal

:25:32. > :25:37.has now lost seven times in a row to him. Seven finals including

:25:37. > :25:41.three Grand Slams. It is a body blow for him. It will be an

:25:41. > :25:45.interesting French Open in May, when Novak Djokovic will be going

:25:45. > :25:49.for his first title at Roland Garros. If he were to win, and who

:25:49. > :25:54.is to say he is not going to start as favourite, he would be the

:25:54. > :26:00.holder of all four Grand Slams, which is a rare feat. That was OK,

:26:00. > :26:04.wasn't it? SUE BARKER: You could not ask for more. Quality tennis,

:26:04. > :26:08.immense drama and an incredible battle of mind over body. Six

:26:08. > :26:12.incredible hours of tennis that will live long in the memory. Here

:26:12. > :26:17.on BBC Two, we have been staying on he through the afternoon. We will

:26:17. > :26:22.be heading over in a moment for live coverage of the world indoor

:26:22. > :26:32.bowls final. If you are watching on BBC Two at and you want to watch

:26:32. > :26:33.

:26:33. > :26:43.the presentation on -- it will be on the red button. The figure-

:26:43. > :26:43.

:26:43. > :26:48.skating will be shown to -- How did he find a way to win? He

:26:48. > :26:53.looked out of it. I simply don't know. We have seen it so many times

:26:53. > :26:58.before, we know he is capable. He was running on fumes for the entire

:26:58. > :27:02.5th set. It is definitely the greatest match he has played in his

:27:02. > :27:06.career. To beat Nadal in that fashion, I don't think he thinks he

:27:06. > :27:10.can believe he has done it. It is staggering, a staggering

:27:10. > :27:15.performance. He is completely emotional, I can't blame him.

:27:15. > :27:20.Unbelievable. I wonder if the world indoor bowlers will be ripping

:27:20. > :27:28.their shirts off in triumph! I might stick around and watch that

:27:28. > :27:33.one. A top sport. This crowd, we said they were in for a treat and a

:27:33. > :27:37.long night, but nobody left because that was an absolute classic. Along

:27:37. > :27:43.with the Wimbledon final of 2008, it is something we will remember

:27:44. > :27:48.for quite some time. Here on BBC Two, we just celebrate this match,

:27:48. > :27:52.as we enjoy some of the highlights now. It truly was an incredible

:27:52. > :27:57.exhibition from both players, of skill, strength and stamina. For