TENNIS Live

Australian Open - Final - Men

Nationality Player Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5
N Djokovic4667-
FranceJ Tsonga6436-

Novak Djokovic

Nationality SRB
Date of Birth 22/05/1987
Height 1.88 m
Weight 74 kg
ATP Ranking 3
Player Info Right-handed; Two-handed backhand

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Nationality FRA
Date of Birth 17/04/1985
Height 1.87 m
Weight 90 kg
ATP Ranking 16
 

Live Comments

  1. 7-6 - One is all that it takes though and DJOKOVIC IS THE NEW AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPION! Tsonga again works hard to keep himself in the point but he slaps a forehand wide and Djokovic drops to the ground. All credit to Tsonga as he crosses the net to come an applaud a clearly emotional Novak Djokovic

  2. 6-2 - Djokovic earns himself four championship points as Tsonga's attempted forehand down the line goes wide after some superhuman defending

  3. 5-1 - Huge hitting from both players so far in this breaker, but it is Djokovic who gets the better of it leading 5-1 at the change of ends. The momentum is very much back with Djokovic now as Tsonga fires down his second double just before the change

  4. 6-6 - It's tiebreak time, folks! Tsonga holds to force the breaker although he does show a little tension with his first double fault of the match

  5. 5-6 - Djokovic holds to leave the Frenchman serving to stay in the match again. Tsonga sets up a break point as Djokovic slaps a backhand into the top of the net. But the Serb saves it dragging Tsonga up to the net with a drop shot before firing over the passing shot. Tsonga is not happy with the Djokovic again on the serve and complains to the umpire once more about the time and ball bouncing issue

  6. 5-5 - Tsonga produces an equally impressive service game doing well to rally after dropping the first point

  7. 5-4 - Djokovic holds serve to love and it is Tsonga now who is looking the more tired of the two! Tsonga will have to serve to stay in the match after the change of ends

  8. 4-4 - Djokovic gets a small window of opportunity at 30-30 but hits an attempted forehand down the line into the top of the net and Tsonga holds as "Nole" slaps a forehand into the net. To be fair, even if the forehand over the line had cleared the net it would have been wide

  9. 4-3 - Just as it looks like he is really struggling Djokovic produces a love service game to leaves him potentially only two games from the title. Trying to figure out where the momentum is in this match is anyone's guess!

  10. 3-3 - Tsonga holds again with an ace out wide but Djokovic's movement was definately not up to standard in that game

  11. 3-2 - Djokovic has the trainer out on court and is receiving treatment for what looks like a left thigh injury. He is currently getting a massage to the back of the left thigh and will receive a full medical timeout

  12. 3-2 - Djokovic holds on. It should have been comfortable from 40-15 up but Tsonga battles back to deuce to make it hard work for the world number three

  13. 2-2 - Tsonga holds to love for just the second time in the match. Signs that Djokovic now maybe struggling with exhaustion with gives Tsonga the perfect opportunity to get back into this match, mentally

  14. 2-1 - Djokovic withstands a minor wobble to hold and keep himself firmly in control of this match. But Tsonga is beginning to show the kind of shots that saw him race through the first set

  15. 1-1 - Tsonga does well and produces a hold to 15 that belies the tiredness he is quite clearly feeling just now

  16. 1-0 - Djokovic holds to love with a huge forehand winner down the line to take the opening game of the fourth set

  17. 6-3 - DJOKOVIC TAKES A TWO SETS TO ONE LEAD! at the sixth attempt as Tsonga dumps a tired looking forehand into the net. A long rally on the first point ends when Djokovic hits a stunning forehand passing shot across court after Tsonga picked the correct side to volley back the Serb's attempted smash. Tsonga saves the first set point with a cross court forehand passing shot of his own that Djokovic applauds as he returns to the baseline.

  18. 5-3 - Djokovic holds again with a ferocious backhand winner to maintain his relentless march towards the title. Tsonga will have to serve to stay in the set

  19. 4-3 - Tsonga uses his anger to great effect to hold again and remain just the one break behind. Djokovic had a gilt edged chance to earn himself another break point but slapped a routine forehand just long and Tsonga held with ease from there

  20. 4-2 - Djokovic gets himself out of a potential spot of bother, at 15-30 down, with some huge serving. Tsonga is pretty worked up about the amount of time being taken by Djokovic in between points and complains to the umpire again. Still no warning though.

  21. 3-2 - Tsonga is not out of this match yet though as he holds, with an ace, for the loss of just the one point to keep the pressure on Djokovic

  22. 3-1 - Djokovic holds to enforce the break and Tsonga is beginning to look really, very tired. Understandably so!

  23. 2-1 - DJOKOVIC BREAKS! The Serb earns himself two break points with his favoured backhand winner down the line. The first goes begging as he pushes his forehand just wide as does the second as Tsonga blasts an ace down the T, but Djokovic gets a third chance as the Frenchman slaps a forehand long. And this time Tsonga can't save himself as he surrenders his serve with a backhand. Djokovic is firmly in control now.

  24. 1-1 - Djokovic also enjoys a comfortable opening service hold to keep things level

  25. 0-1 - A love service game from Tsonga to open up his third set account

  26. 6-4 - DJOKOVIC TAKES THE SECOND SET! An emphatic love service game from Djokovic concluding with an ace out wide on set point and the Serb has levelled up

  27. 5-4 - Tsonga holds to stop the run of games against him but not with any real confidence and Djokovic will serve to level up at one set apeice

  28. 5-3 - Tsonga had a chance to stop the run of games against him there as Djokovic threw in a double fault but the Serb holds to enforce the break and leave Tsonga serving to stay in the set

  29. 4-3 - DJOKOVIC BREAKS! A scintilating backhand block return of serve straight down the line from Djokovic earns him a first break point and the Serb grabs it with both hands as Tsonga pushes his forehand down the line just wide.

  30. 3-3 - Djokovic holds to love to level up. That is the most comfortable has looked on serve for some time. It was also the first love service game of the match from either player

  31. 2-3 - Great play from Tsonga to keep himself in front but signs of the Djokovic steel are beginning to appear now as he smacks one of his trademark backhand winners down the line at full stretch to reach deuce yet again. That'll be encouraging to the Serb

  32. 2-2 - Djokovic holds but again Tsonga raced out to 30-0 before the Serb could recover to hold

  33. 1-2 - Tsonga holds for the loss of just the one point and Djokovic at the moment is being comprehensively out-played, the momentum is all with the Frenchman

  34. 1-1 - Djokovic holds to level up but Tsonga looks like he is just waiting for even the smallest window of opportunity to run away with this

  35. 0-1 - Tsonga holds to take the opening game of the second set

  36. 4-6 - TSONGA TAKES THE FIRST SET! Tsonga earns himself a set point with a stunning forehand passing shot. Djokovic dictated the point from the start and fired a huge forehand out wide to leave Tsonga on the ropes but somehow the Frenchman recovers and races across to get a racket to the Serb's smash and smack it back over for the winner. The Frenchman then seals the set with a stunning forehand lob that lands just inside the baseline!

  37. 4-5 - Three huge aces from Tsonga help him race through his service game and leaves Djokovic serving to stay in the set

  38. 4-4 - Djokovic levels up with an ace down the T. Tsonga doesn't seem happy with the amount of time the Serb is taking between points and has a word with the umpire. Ramos isn't saying anything to Djokovic yet, although he did receive a warning during the Federer match

  39. 3-4 - Tsonga in front again as Djokovic slaps a forehand long. The Serb pushed Tsonga all the way to deuce again but couldn't go any further and he is clearly still frustrated with his game - 11 unforced errors already from Djokovic, the majority of which have come from the forehand

  40. 3-3 - Djokovic holds again. A moment of light-heartedness on the first point as a Djokovic serve called in is over-ruled by umpire Carlos Ramos. Djokovic challenges and is proven to be right but the crowd, Djokovic and Tsonga all have a chuckle to themselves. Could be just what Djokovic needs to help him relax!

  41. 2-3 - Tsonga holds again although Djokovic comes close to applying some pressure at deuce. A long rally on the first point ends with a couple of showy Tsonga overheads. The Frenchman leaps up to take the first very early but has to track back and play a second when Djokovic somehow manages to block the first back into court

  42. 2-2 - A huge, important hold for Djokovic to get on level terms. The Djokovic forehand breaks down again to gift Tsonga a first break point but the Serb comes up with an ace down the T to get back on level terms. The Frenchman gets another chance when Djokovic's cross court backhand passing shot drops just wide but this time the backhand passing shot across court does save the day!

  43. 1-2 - A much better service game from the Frenchman as he holds to 15 with some huge hitting. Tsonga is hitting freely now as Djokovic continues to battle with his nerves, missing another couple of forehands

  44. 1-1 - A couple of tense forehands from Djokovic as he gifts Tsonga the immediate break back. Maybe the world number three is more nervous than was first apparent

  45. 1-0 - A nervy opening game from Tsonga that sees him broken as Djokovic fires a cross court forehand deep into the corner for a winner

  46. 0-0 - Tsonga to serve ...

  47. 08:40 - Tsonga has won the toss and chosen very quickly to serve first. There are no previous meetings between the two so neither has any real mental advantage

  48. 08:38 - These two very popular players receive rapturous applause as they get introduced to the crowd. It's a night match so they don't have to worry about the temperature (currently 73 degrees fahrenheit) getting any higher or the sun although the roof is open and there is there will still be daylight for the next couple of hours

  49. 08:36 - The two players are now just making the long walk between the locker room and the Rod Laver Arena with play scheduled to get underway in about 10 minutes

  50. 08:24 - Hello and welcome to eurosport.yahoo.com's LIVE coverage of the Australian Open men's final between third seed Novak Djokovic and unseeded French sensation Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

ATP Race 2008

Points
1 Rafael Nadal 1265 stay
2 Roger Federer 921 stay
3 Novak Djokovic 899 stay
4 Andrew Murray 520 stay
5 Nikolay Davydenko 417 stay
6 Andy Roddick 354 up
7 David Ferrer 337 down
8 James Blake 309 stay
9 Juan Marin Del Potro 307 stay
10 Stanislas Wawrinka 286 stay

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