Novak Djokovic wins Australian Open 2012 Men’s Singles Title, earns fifth Grand Slam trophy

World number one Novak Djokovic successfully defends the Australian Open title with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5 win against Rafael Nadal at the 2012 Australian Open Men’s Singles Final on Sunday.

This is Djokovic’s third Australian Open title after his win in 2008 and last year. He has already earned 5 Grand slam titles. Rafael Nadal was gunning for his 11th Grand Slam title in Melbourne.

For the win, Djokovic earns $2.3 million and also retaining a huge lead in the world rankings.

“Rafa, you’re one of the best players ever, one of the most respected players on tour. We made history tonight; unfortunately there couldn’t be two winners tonight. I wish you all the best for this season and I hope that we will have many more finals like this,” Djokovic said in his acceptance speech.

“Congratulations to Novak and his team, they deserve it, they are doing something fantastic, so congratulations. To start the season here and play this fantastic match against Novak is, I believe, a fantastic start,” Nadal said during his runner-up speech.

During the post-match news conference, Nadal revealed that it was the “toughest” match he ever played.

“I’m tired. Physically [it] was the toughest match I ever played. I think we played a great tennis match. It was, I think, a very good show. I enjoyed being part of this event and this match,” he said.

“I wanted to win, but I am happy about how I did. I had my chances against the best player in the world today. I played one against one. I didn’t play at lower level than him for a long time, so that’s a very positive thing for me. I am very happy about my mentality tonight,” he added.