Novak Djokovic revisits memories of 'physically draining' battle with Rafael Nadal in 'crazy' Australian Open 2012 final

Novak Djokovic took a sentimental journey down memory lane, revisiting one of the most iconic moments of his career—the 2012 Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal. This match remains etched in the annals of tennis history as the longest Grand Slam final in terms of duration.

In 2012, Djokovic secured his third Australian Open title by defeating Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5. Lasting an astonishing 5 hours and 53 minutes, it remains the longest major final by duration. The Serb registered 57 winners but also committed 69 unforced errors, while the Spaniard hit 44 winners and made 71 unforced errors.

The match ended at 1:37 AM, with both players visibly exhausted from the physical toll. As they waited for the trophy ceremony, Nadal leaned against the net while Djokovic started stretching on the court. An official eventually brought them chairs and bottles of water to help them relax.

Thirteen years later, the former World No. 1 reflects on the match as he aims for his 25th Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open. In a promotional video for the event, he recalls the longest rallies in the first set, which lasted more than 11 minutes.

The 37-year-old humorously notes that officials had to bring chairs onto the court during the trophy presentation because both players were too fatigued to stand.

"Longest ever Grand Slam finals. This was one of the longest rallies of the match. It was crazy. I just missed the backhand and just collapsed on the court. Oh my God. I guess physically draining and demanding match that I've ever played in my career. I think we were both stretching. We were like, okay, we need a chair. That's true. We need a chair, we need some water," he said.

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"Just to hear that fact is making me cry" - When Novak Djokovic discussed playing the longest-ever Grand Slam final

Novak Djokovic during the 2024 Shanghai Rolex Masters (Image source: Getty)

In the 2012 Australian Open post-match press conference, Novak Djokovic conveyed that this victory was on par with his Wimbledon triumphs in terms of significance. The Serb emotionally acknowledged that the match's record-breaking duration brought tears to his eyes.

"Yes. Right now, yes. Probably Wimbledon because Wimbledon is right up there next to this one because it's just the tournament that I always dreamed of winning," he said.

"But this one I think comes out on the top because just the fact that we played almost six hours is incredible, incredible. I think it's probably the longest finals in the history of all Grand Slams, and just to hear that fact is making me cry, really," he added.

Novak Djokovic kicked off his 2025 Australian Open campaign with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Nishesh Basavareddy. The seventh-seeded player then cruised past Jaime Faria and 26th-seed Tomas Machac to reach the Round of 16, where he will take on 24th-seed Jiri Lehecka on January 18, 2025. The winner of this match will face either 15th-seed Jack Draper or third-seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.