Novak Djokovic, Iron Man

Reuters

Years ago, before he won a Slam but was beating Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and Masters events, a tennis forum acquaintance swore that Novak Djokovic might be the most mentally tough tennis player in the game.

Years ago, I swore that the Serbian's tennis was nothing special, that he was being (over)hyped to the hilt and that if he was to have any chance of achieving greatness, the commentators were going to have to dial back their accolades and let the man prove himself, lest he crack under the pressure of the hype and end up as a blip on the screen of tennis history.

Today, my internet acquaintance seems to be right.

Today, the entire Djokovic revealed himself as a man of indomitable will with a return of serve and defensive genius that rival the best in history.


Getty

Nadal, despite not being able to solve the riddle of his nemesis in seven straight finals, is still no easy out. It took Djokovic nearly six hours to overcome Nadal's own defensive genius and will to win. But at the end of the match, it was Nadal who cracked, once again, and couldn't pull himself back together. Leading 4-2, 30-15 in the deciding set, the Spaniard steered a backhand sitter wide of the sideline. The entire court was open. All he had to do was get it in, but he missed. At that point, Djokovic's legs loosened up again and Nadal's shoulders drooped.

The rest is history.

Djokovic joins Nadal, Federer, Pete Sampras, and Rod Laver as the only players in the Open Era to win three Slams in a row. For his part, Nadal, who contested his fourth Slam in a row, becomes the fifth player to reach every major final more than once.

They left blood all over the place today. And the sport itself was the biggest winner.