The 33-year-old Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open eight times. Each year in Melbourne he lit the candle and on court he can crush the winners. In 2020, he won the AO again, beating Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem
But while he is the favorite. He knows that on court a five-set victory can take for many hours. Now, he has to face versus Daniil Medvedev. The Russian has gradually become super steady in the past couple years, with some hefty strokes. He has to improve because he hasn’t won a major yet. In the final, the Medvedev has to do something different and better, like coming more into the net and changing direction.
Djokovic knows how to be composed, and his serve is terrific. He also values hitting his wonderful backhand, especially down the line. He wants to win another major, and a few days ago, he admitted it.
“I would lie if I said that it’s not a goal, besides a Grand Slam title that’s the pinnacle of the sport,” Djokovic said. “I give the maximum when I come to a tournament to win.”
He might again, but he has to do it first. Against Medvedev, he will depend on his world-class returning, and Djokovic can also smack his forehand, pretty deep, with spin.
Medvedev is robust and smart. In 2019, he won Cincinnati, Shanghai, Paris, and the ATP Final. He is very tall, moves well side to side, and can counterpunch. He rarely gets tired. At the 2019 US Open, against Rafa Nadal, he was right there in the fifth set, but the Spaniard went for it, and he won it again. But with Medvedev, in the last few games, he backed off and he was just hoping that Nadal would throw some errors. He did not, so Medvedev mentally strung out.
Djokovic and Medvedev have played each other seven times, four for Djokovic and three for Medvedev.
On Sunday, Djokovic will not play horrible, or mediocre. He will play like he is the master of the house. That is reality, as he understands how to play three out of five sets. If Medvedev can edge the Serbian — he beat Djokovic at the 2020 ATP Finals — he will have to turn the tide. Then, Medvedev can jump into the ocean and exalt. However, the real picture, though, is the Djokovic will win the 2021 Australian Open for the ninth time.