In the course of the match, Djokovic recovered from a 2-1 sets down in a slam final for the first time to win his 8th Australian Open and 17th slam. He was struggling badly for much of the event, but he always finds a way. An incredible effort from Thiem, but it wasn’t enough. It rarely is against Djokovic.Djokovic, 32, will begin his fifth stint — and 276th week — at No. 1 on Monday. Should he maintain his hold on the top spot in 2020, he is projected to pass Pete Sampras (286 weeks at No. 1) on 20 April and Roger Federer (310 weeks) on 5 October to set a new all-time record for most weeks at No. 1.

Thiem, who had also finished runner-up to Nadal at Roland Garros in 2018 and 2019, has now won seven of his 11 matches against the Big 3 of Nadal (2-2), Novak Djokovic (2-2) and Roger Federer (3-0) since the start of 2019.

It is instructive to note that the final was watched by a record 31,020 spectators on Rod Laver Arena and outside on the grounds watching the big screen, breaking the previous record of 30,753 fans set in 2019. Additionally, the total Australian Open tournament attendance for 2020 was also a record 812,174, bettering the previous 2019 mark of 796,435.