5 unique facts about the Australian Open final

Modified Feb 02, 2020 05:25 GMT

Novak Djokovic is the defending champion at the 2020 Australian Open

#2: Least 5-setter finals amongst all the Slams in the Open Era

Federer (right) featured in only the 5th Australian Open final in the Open Era to go the distance

Among 38 Open Era Grand Slam men's singles finals to have gone the distance, the Australian Open (6) has had the least such instances among all the 4 Grand Slam tournaments on the tennis calendar.

The corresponding numbers at the 3 other Grand Slam tournaments are 8 at Roland Garros, 15 at Wimbledon, and 9 at the US Open.

1977 (Vitas Gerulaitis beat John Lloyd), 1987 (Stefan Edberg beat Pat Cash), 1988 (Mats Wilander beat Pat Cash), 2009 (Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer), 2012 (Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal), and 2018 (Roger Federer beat Marin Cilic) are the only Australian Open finals in the Open Era to have featured 5 sets.

#3: Only retirement in a men's singles final in the Open Era

Stefan Edberg retired after trailing Ivan Lendl 6-4, 6-7(3), 2-5 in the 1990 Australian Open final. It remains the only Grand Slam men's singles final in the Open Era to have featured a retirement. It also marked Lendl's 8th and final Grand Slam singles title.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by rehaan díaz