• No 2 seed wins thrilling final 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 • Djokovic fought back after angry outburst and umpire clash
Few players in tennis want to love and be loved as much as
Novak Djokovic and, while he lost a few friends in one of the most curious meltdowns of his career, he stilled the boorish hecklers in a remarkable fightback to win his eighth
Australian Open.
Beating Dominic Thiem 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a minute under four hours in the Rod Laver Arena on a mild Sunday night returned him to No 1 in the world, as well as putting him two majors behind
Rafael Nadal and three behind
Roger Federer, whose record 20 slams once looked a mountain too high for his peers. Not now.