Australian Open 2019, Men's final: 3 things we learned

2. Nadal committed too many unforced errors

Nadal's usually lethal forehand was not good enough yesterday

Nadal committed too many unforced errors in the match to have any realistic chance of winning it. He made 28 errors and frequently hit his forehands too wide or long. It made the job easier for Djokovic, who himself committed only 9 unforced errors.

Nadal’s usually reliable forehand could not do the trick yesterday and he struggled to find his rhythm in the longer rallies. He had some great moments in the match, and did hit some great winners too, but his efforts were not enough to ruffle Djokovic’s resolve. It was a pity, because Nadal is such a great competitor usually and always manages to stretch his opponents in big matches.

He could never get into the groove yesterday and looked a shadow of his usual self. Djokovic has now won 16 of their last 19 matches, and decidedly has the psychological edge over his Spanish rival.