'Best I've played against Rafa'
Novak Djokovic said he played his "best final in a Grand Slam" to win a record magnificent seventh Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 rout of Rafael Nadal Sunday.
"It's one of the best, if not the best, matches I've played in a Grand Slam final," the Serbian world number one said after winning his 15th major title in just 2hr 4min.
The demolition of second seed Nadal put Djokovic, 31, out on his own ahead of Roger Federer and Roy Emerson, who both won six Australian Open men's singles titles.
The top seed dropped to his knees and kissed the ground after vanquishing his greatest rival.
"It's quite unreal we are still playing at this level and still competing for the biggest titles in sport and it's just an amazing evening," he said, pausing frequently to hold back his emotions.
"Under the circumstances, maybe this is the best quality tennis I have played against Rafa in a final."
"I'm just trying to contemplate on the journey in the last 12 months. I had the surgery exactly 12 months ago," he added, referring to an elbow operation that saw him slump out of the world's top 20 before bouncing back to win Wimbledon and the US Open.
"To be standing now here in front of you today and managing to win this title and three out of four Slams, this is amazing. I am speechless."
The pair's only previous final in Australia, in 2012, developed into a record-breaking 5hr 53min slugfest -- the longest in Grand Slam history.
A repeat of that epic never materialised with Nadal uncharacteristically nervous at the start and Djokovic taking an immediate advantage that he would never relinquish.
"(It was) exactly what I intended to do, to step out and bring on the intensity because I knew there would be intensity waiting for me on the other side," Djokovic said.
The Spaniard had not lost a set and had not had his service broken since the third set of his first round match but that streak ended as the Serb came sprinting out of the blocks.
The pressure told in the fifth game of the second set and Djokovic broke again when Nadal hit a lob volley long. The on-song Serb was so fired up he broke Nadal again to go to 5-2 before serving out for a two-set lead with three aces in a row with just 1hr 16min on the clock.
When Djokovic broke again in the third game of the third set it was just a matter of how quickly he would finish off Nadal.
Victory extended the Serb's win-loss record against Nadal to 28-25 and squared the Grand Slam final count between the pair at 4-4.
Djokovic has now completed a hat-trick of Slams following his wins at Wimbledon and the US Open.