Boris Becker praises Novak Djokovic after ninth Australian Open crown

Overcoming an injury and seven opponents, Novak Djokovic claimed the ninth Australian Open crown and the 18th Major overall on Sunday to confirm his Melbourne dominance.

In the final, Djokovic toppled Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in an hour and 53 minutes, using his experience at Rod Laver Arena to take the drive away from an in-form Russian and bring the victory home in straight sets. Praising his former pupil, Boris Becker said that Djokovic showed his genius in the pivotal moments, raising his game when it mattered the most to beat the rival and keep his perfect Australian Open finals score.

Becker noted that Medvedev challenged Djokovic at the end of the first and beginning of the second set, with the Serb finding an extra gear right after that to break the rival's resistance and emerge at the top.

"Novak Djokovic's genius showed itself in the key moments of the Australian Open final, being able to lock in his game when he needed it most. And until the upcoming generation starts matching him in that department, you can expect the established champions to keep cleaning up at the biggest championships. Daniil Medvedev was right in the match late in the first set and then got a break early in the second. Both times you saw Djokovic being able to summon up his best, most solid tennis while his opponent went in the opposite direction.

We saw a mental and tactical masterclass from the Serb, and the younger challengers just do not have that same maturity at the moment. Djokovic did not want to get sucked into long rallies from the baseline, so he took the initiative and was aggressive from the start. It messed up Medvedev's rhythm, and the result was a more one-sided victory than predicted," Boris Becker said.