Serbia’s Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal to win thrilling Australian open – photos
TENNIS. Who knew is was so utterly enthralling, uplifting and mesmeric? It’s not about clubby HRT-addled men and women in blazers screaming “Come on Tim!” or Scottish patriots clenching for Andy Murray. It’s about sport.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 7-5 to win the 2012 Australian Open in a game blessed with skills, vim, desire and oodles of charisma. Did you see the entire 5hr 53mins? If you did, you missed nothing outside or on the other channels. The weather was cold, as it typically is in a British winter. EastEnders was shouty and depressing on BBC1. Dickinson’s Real Deal was neither real nor a big deal on ITV. Hollyoaks on Channel 5 is aplty named after two kinds of tree, given the quality of the wooden acting and scripts.
But on BBC2, the tennis was brilliant. Tennis even offers breaks for the toilet and the tea. The prizes are cups and a big saucers. Tennis is the one sport that need make no concession to the advertisers’ demands.
This was the longest final of the Open era, beating the 4hr 54min Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl played in the US Open final in 1988. Said Djokovic:
“We live for these moments.”
We do…
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia, left, holds the championship trophy with runner-up Rafael Nadal of Spain during the awarding ceremony after Djokovic won the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship, in Melbourne, Australia, early Monday, Jan. 30, 2012.(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Posted: 29th, January 2012 | In: Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
