Novak Djokovic Wins Australian Open, Tightens Grand Slam Race

The second violation cost him a first serve. Thiem went on to break, and Djokovic, fuming, patted Dumusois’s feet as he passed in front of his chair. “Great job, man,” Djokovic said. “You made yourself famous. Well done.”

It is technically forbidden to touch an official, but Dumusois chose not to penalize Djokovic.

“I thought the second violation was not necessary, the first one fine no problem, the second one just not necessary under the circumstances,” said Djokovic, who said he was unaware of the ban on touching an official.

“I thought it was a nice, really friendly touch,” he said much later, grinning at his postmatch news conference, which started at 2 a.m. Monday.

Thiem served out the second set and swept to the third as Djokovic looked increasingly sluggish and off balance. With Thiem leading, 4-1, Djokovic received a visit from the medical staff but did not take an injury timeout.

He said he was feeling unusually low on energy and experiencing some dizziness and said he was informed by a doctor that he was likely dehydrated. “To be honest, I still don’t understand the reasons that happened,” he said of his physical issues.

But Djokovic often has looked down and out in his long career only to find a way back to a more sunlit place. So it went on Sunday as he rallied to extend his dominance and prevent the younger generation from breaking through.

Thiem, who lost the last two French Open finals to Nadal, is now 0-3 in major finals; no active men’s player under age 31 has won a Grand Slam singles title.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/02/sports/tennis/australian-open-djokovic-thiem.html?emc=rss&partner=rss