He is now a game away from his EIGHTH Australian Open title. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. Both players ripping the ball to the max, back-and-forth, and after Djokovic lures Thiem into the net, the Serb nets the forehand pass. He's certainly not as unflappable as he was 20 minutes ago, but nonetheless Thiem will serve to stay in the set now... Thiem holds, with some aggressive shot-making! Thiem just won't go away here, full credit to him! Djokovic is … That was nervy and tough, but Thiem edges out the hold to move to within a set of his first slam title. Remarkable: Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have all won a major 8 times (in Rafa's case, at least). Nip and tuck in this fourth set, engrossing stuff. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. BREAK POINT chance for Djokovic here, as he anticipates a return superbly - Thiem going wayward with a forehand down the line. Thiem, the world No.5, had defeated Djokovic in four of their previous five matches, including a three-set stormer at the ATP Finals in London in November. And now an error with the serve - double fault! Thiem saved the first break point with a forehand winner, but then he blasted a forehand miles long. He immediately sprayed a forehand long. Djokovic responded with a quick serve and forehand winner combo from 15-30, then he slid in an excellent wide serve for an easy service winner. This is a different match. With thanks to a couple of misfiring Djokovic backhands, the Austrian moves through a quick hold to 15 and he will force Djokovic to handle the pressure and serve out his 8th Australian Open title. © 2020 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Dominic Thiem 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 to claim his eighth Australian Open crown.#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/EJOKBy040s. Thiem must have thought he was about to become the first of the younger generation finally to win a Slam, only to find the door slammed shut, as it was by Nadal in both of his French Open finals. With the Serb prowling at 30-30, Thiem found a great service winner. After two tough deuce games, he pours a tub of salt into Thiem’s wounds with a swift love hold. It’s a huge tragedy. Woah, Djokovic's drop shot trickles over off the top of the net - a slice of luck for the world number two, and he holds serve in a game where he saved a break point. The Serb now has 17 Grand Slam titles, only three short of record holder Roger Federer, and will reclaim the world No. He served much better and sealed it off with a dainty cat-and-mouse point in which he brought Thiem forward and then finished the point at the net. The Austrian really struggling for consistency on serve at the moment... A third straight hold to 15 for Djokovic early on, securing the game with a pinpoint backhand down the line, landing bang in the far corner of the court. Thiem gets to advantage again but Djokovic dictates the point superbly, manoeuvring the Austrian from side-to-side and finishing it off with a forehand down the line. Good work. Dominic Thiem strolls to a love hold, sealed with a glorious backhand down the line. I fell a bit short today but hopefully I can get revenge soon. Important Thiem gets through this game. After struggling so badly on his serve for two sets, now he is serving from the stratosphere. You and also two other guys, I think you brought men’s tennis to a complete new level and I’m really proud and happy that I can compete in these times and this period of tennis. Djokovic thrives in these scenarios and Thiem will have to stand up to him in these early stages of the fifth set. A great hold to 15 from the Austrian there, closed off with his 9th ace after some exemplary serving. Novak Djokovic forces Thiem into a fifth set 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3. With his third successive forehand error, he handed over the break. Your IP: 68.66.216.42 Djokovic then dragged him into deuce by winning an endless slice rally. Cash-strapped Barcelona are handed a £342m wage cap by LaLiga - £77m less than rivals Real Madrid and £245m... Kylian Mbappe is certain to lead the France attack at Euro 2020 as Les Bleus bid for back-to-back glory next... Haven't we got ENOUGH football?! Oh boy - Thiem double faults at set point, and gift-wrapped, Djokovic is handed the first set! Six games in a row. 'Congratulations to Dominic for an amazing tournament, you definitely have a lot more time in a career and I'm sure you will get more than one of the Grand Slam trophies. Can Dominic Thiem do the 'impossible' and beat Novak Djokovic in Australia? Thiem recovers back to deuce, as he nails his backhand down the line and Djokovic nets. Mixing up the pace and direction, Thiem earned two opportunities to restore parity, but Djokovic was in lockdown, and the 32-year-old soared to another major step in Melbourne. #AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/XkU4xrBc30. Fourth set: Novak Djokovic 6-4 4-6 2-6 5-3* Dominic Thiem: Djokovic breaks. "Words of wisdom from eight-time #AusOpen champion, @DjokerNole. After a shaky start, it took 19 minutes for the Australian Open final debutant to finally ping a game onto the scoreboard. #AO2020 pic.twitter.com/b2yrSfW6IG. Sun 2 Feb 2020 13.40 GMT Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Perhaps understandably so, a tad more nervy here from Thiem, while Djokovic is no longer making basic errors. Fifth set: Novak Djokovic 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 5-3* Dominic Thiem: Djokovic’s service game opened with the most extraordinary long point, with Thiem finally being dragged into the net and doing just enough to elicit a forehand error from Djokovic’s passing shot. Just after the coin toss, the INXS song ‘New Sensation’ boomed out around a packed Rod Laver Arena. As Dominic was saying with the huge bushfires, conflicts in some parts of the world, obviously one person who I considered someone in my life was Kobe Brayant with his daughter. Probably one point and one shot separated us tonight. Fourth set: Novak Djokovic 6-4 4-6 2-6 1-0* Dominic Thiem: Djokovic pieces together an essential routine hold to open the fourth set, sealed with a point-ending inside-in forehand. “This is definitely my favourite court, my favourite stadium in the world and I’m blessed to hold this trophy once again,” said Djokovic, who was adamant Thiem will join the Roll of Honour one day. A defiant Novak Djokovic claimed an unprecedented eighth Australian Open men’s singles title with a typically tenacious 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 triumph against Dominic Thiem on Sunday night to defend his title. Thiem saves the first with a forehand winner, but he goes long at 30-40 and Djokovic will now serve for the fourth set! And with an ace down the T, the Serb holds serve to love... this match is slowly drifting away from Dominic Thiem. He saved the break point with a big ,unreturned serve down the T, then he found an ace at deuce. Roger, Rafa and Novak's GOAT race: Djokovic now has huge... 'If you have someone who says too much... it doesn't work':... American dream! We're all-square here after 40 minutes of action. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Here is our first report on Novak Djokovic’s 17th slam title: I would like to start of course with a huge congrats to Novak. Thiem spent this service game taking his forehand on at full pace and spraying a variety of incredible winners and ghastly unforced errors before finding himself down break point, a defacto match point. You definitely have a lot more time in your career I’m sure that you will get one of the slam trophies... More! An excellent recovery. It's Djokovic again in Melbourne, as Thiem sends a forehand wide! He said: “There was some devastating things that started 2020 with huge bushfires here in Australia, conflicts in some parts of the world.