Djokovic wins his fifth, but is the gap closing?

After an amazing 5 hour and 53 minute contest Novak Djokovic prevailed for the third successive time over Rafael Nadal in a Grand Slam final.

Djokovic accepts victory, while Nadal ponders what could have been

In 2011 Djokovic raised the bar and produced tennis that undermined Nadal's heavy topspin and general gameplan. At times in the Wimbledon and US Open finals, with Djokovic in the zone, it resembled Neo keeping the rogue Agent Smith at bay in The Matrix.

Nadal has been forced back to the drawing board to create a battleplan to get the number one ranking back. He has added weight to his racket and become more aggressive on the backhand side.

Despite the match being so close in the end on scoreline, Djokovic was the best player overall and thoroughly deserved the victory. Nadal's battling qualities were immense and who knows what would have happened if he had hit that easy backhand down the line at 4-2 in the fifth set (watch again on BBC site here).

I have compiled stats from their last three finals and the numbers would suggest Nadal is gaining ground on Djokovic. This sets us up for a very exciting 2012. Nadal has lost the crown as number one and is under threat to lose his title as the 'King of Clay'. Last year Djokovic showed he can handle Nadal's style on clay too. Nadal may be inwardly thankful to his old rival Federer for disposing of Djokovic in the semi-final at Roland Garros, otherwise we likely would be looking at Djokovic winning his fifth Slam in a row. As the stats show, Djokovic is finding it more difficult to beat Nadal in terms of the time it takes and percentage of points won/lost.

Relief! Djokovic knows they're closing in

Andy Murray has also closed the gap with the top three and The Big Four is well and truly out on their own. 2012 will mesmerise, guaranteed!

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