"Top tier badass moment" - Tennis fan recall Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal's struggle to stand after 6 hour-Australian Open final

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have been part of many great matches that have defined tennis. Their final at the 2012 Australian Open is undoubtedly one of the greatest contests the sport has ever seen. The match not only tested their mental toughness but proved to be the ultimate challenge of physical endurance.

Djokovic was the No. 1 seed, and Nadal the No. 2. The former dropped only 3 sets until the final, defeating the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, David Ferrer, and Andy Murray. Meanwhile, Nadal also displayed impeccable form, racing into the title match by bettering top players, including Feliciano Lopez, Tomas Berdych, and Roger Federer.

Nadal took the first set, but Djokovic leveled the score in the second and took the lead after the third set. The score was equaled again in the fourth set by the Spaniard. The Serb went on to win the title, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5. The match lasted a staggering 5 hours and 53 minutes -- the longest Grand Slam final of all time.

Understandably, both players were struggling to stand during the presentation ceremony, and the video from that day was recently shared by Twitter user Scott Barclay. In the clip that has since gone viral on social media, both men are seen stretching their legs, even hunching down simultaneously.

Their trouble was prolonged as the sponsors took a long time to wrap up their speech. Eventually, two people from the organizing team brought chairs for the finalists to sit.

Tennis fans hailed the moment as one of the greatest displays of strength in tennis. Some slammed the sponsors for giving such a long speech and ignoring the ordeal of the two stars.

"Top tier badass moment in tennis," one fan wrote.

"What amazes me most in this clip is that just about 20 minutes earlier they were playing tennis and running all over the place. They can barely stand at this moment, they could barely stand before this. Adrenaline and extreme mental fortitude. Built different," said another fan.

"More than that, can't understand why sponsors speech has to stretch so long. People have come to watch the match & you create a recall value by being there, why diminish it by a boring extended speech, when none are interested. Sponsors should abide by their core brand values too," a fan opined.

"It was so uncomfortable to watch… and I’ll tell you no one could tell you what those guys said!! No one was paying any attention to the speaker!" another fan posted on X.

Here are some more fan reactions to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal's struggle to stand at the 2012 Australian Open presentation ceremony:

What is Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal's head-to-head record?

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have faced each other on the ATP Tour 59 times. The first match came way back in 2006 at the Roland Garros, where Nadal won the quarterfinal match after Djokovic retired at two sets down, 6-4, 6-4, ret.

Their next encounter was the final of the 2007 Indian Wells, which the Spaniard again won, 6-2, 7-5. The Serb's first victory in the matchup came at the 2007 Miami Open.

Thirteen years later, Novak Djokovic now holds a slight 30-29 advantage in the head-to-head. The last time the two greats faced each other was in the quarterfinal of the 2022 Roland Garros, which Nadal clinched 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4).

Fast forward to the present day, the 24-time Grand Slam champion from Belgrade reigns supreme in men's tennis, currently ranked World No. 1 and being the incumbent champion at three of the four Grand Slams. Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, has been on a hiatus due to injuries since January and hopes to come back to tennis at the 2024 Australian Open.