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Five things we learnt as Djokovic and Osaka reigned Down Under

Five things we learnt as Djokovic and Osaka reigned Down Under
© Reuters
Five things we learned from the Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka walked away with the trophies after two compelling weeks of action at Melbourne Park.

Both made history, with Djokovic becoming the first man to win seven titles at the Australian Open and Osaka adding to her success by becoming the first Asian to be ranked world number one in singles.

Here, Press Association Sport picks out five things we learned from the tournament.

Djokovic can win the lot

With the asterisk that he was not playing Rafael Nadal at his fittest or best, Djokovic's final performance was simply tennis on another level. His remarkable physical abilities, combined with his efficient strokes and ability to guide the ball into the corners add up to the perfect package on a hard court. His apparently insatiable desire for titles means it seems less a question of 'Can he win the calendar Grand Slam?' but rather 'Who can stop him?'

Osaka can win a lot

With the emergence of a genuine, reliable superstar in unassuming 21-year-old Osaka, women's tennis finds itself in a very healthy place indeed. After blowing away opponents at the US Open, Osaka showed here that she can find a way to come through tricky matches and regroup when times get tough. It would be a surprise if she proved as effective on clay, but expect her to be a challenger at Wimbledon.

Murray might not be finished yet

From despair to redemption to hope, Andy Murray's stay in Melbourne may have been a short one but he certainly left his mark. It would be a surprise if the Scot does not decide to have hip resurfacing surgery and potentially give his career another go. There are no guarantees, but doubles specialist Bob Bryan spoke extremely positively about his experience after the same operation.

The guard remain unmoved

Two of tennis' old guard, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, contested the Australian Open men's final (Kin Cheung/AP).
Two of tennis' old guard, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, contested the Australian Open men's final (Kin Cheung/AP).

John McEnroe may have hailed Stefanos Tsitsipas' victory over Roger Federer as the changing of the guard in men's tennis, but that was quickly made to look distinctly premature as Djokovic and Nadal steamrollered all-comers. Tsitsipas was the breakthrough star of the tournament and looks ready to challenge for titles soon, while Frances Tiafoe also made a big leap forward, but the gap remains a sizeable one.

There can be too much tennis

Late finishes are nothing new but the sport must look at its scheduling and decide whether the current arrangement is really sensible. Johanna Konta and Garbine Muguruza did not begin their second-round match until 12.30am and finished after 3am in front of a handful of spectators. There is no need to play tennis in the middle of the night. As Muguruza said: "I seriously can't believe that there are people watching us at 3.15. I mean, who cares?"

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Novak Djokovic poses with the Australian Open trophy on January 27, 2019
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rhs 2.0
Championship
Serie A
Australian Open First Round
11.30pm
Millman
Humbert
11.30pm
Davidovich Fokina
Gombos
11.30pm
Schwartzman
Harris
11.30pm
Hurkacz
Novak
11.30pm
Cilic
Moutet
11.30pm
Ito
Gunneswaran
11.30pm
Paire
Stebe
11.30pm
Gasparyan
Sakkari
11.30pm
Hibino
Peng
11.30pm
Konta
Jabeur
11.30pm
Brengle
Garcia
11.30pm
Juvan
Yastremska
11.30pm
Ferro
Van Uytvanck
Suspended
Garin
Travaglia
6 6 1
4 3 1
Suspended
Lopez
Bautista Agut
2 2
6 1
Suspended
Giustino
Raonic
2 1 2
6 6 5
Suspended
Sinner
Purcell
7  6 4
62 2 4
Suspended
Opelka
Fognini
6 7  1
3 63 0
Suspended
Sandgren
Trungelliti
1
0
Suspended
Edmund
Lajovic
5
2
Suspended
Halys
Krajinovic
6
6
12am
Hercog
Peterson
12am
Bencic
Karolina Schmiedlova
12am
Mladenovic
Pliskova
1am
Mayer
Paul
1am
Wang
Parmentier
1.30am
Mannarino
Thiem
1.30am
Mannarino
Thiem
1.30am
Thompson
Bublik
1.30am
Linette
Rus
Suspended
Riske
Wang
7 
65
1.30am
Keys
Kasatkina
1.30am
Vekic
Sharapova
1.45am
Gulbis
Auger-Aliassime
2am
Vilella Martinez
Khachanov
2am
Pera
Rybakina
2am
Sasnovich
Minnen
2.30am
Andujar
Mmoh
2.15am
Uchiyama
Ymer
2.30am
Polmans
Kukushkin
2.30am
Andujar
Mmoh
2.30am
Duckworth
Bedene
3am
Basilashvili
Woo Kwon
3am
Dzumhur
Wawrinka
3am
Nadal
Dellien
3am
Siegemund
Vandeweghe
3am
Samsonova
Ostapenko
3.30am
Kovalik
Carreno Busta
3.30am
Putintseva
Hsieh
3.45am
Bolt
Ramos-Vinolas
4.30am
Kecmanovic
Seppi
3.30am
Muguruza
Rogers
3.30am
Tomljanovic
Sevastova
4am
Anisimova
Diyas
4.15am
Lottner
Giorgi
4.30am
Collins
Ditachenko
4.30am
Davis
Fernandez
4.30am
Bondarenko
Rodionova
5am
Herbert
Norrie
5am
Popyrin
Tsonga
5am
Cornet
Niculescu
5.15am
Monfils
Lu
5.30am
O'Connell
Rublev
5.30am
Flipkens
Muchova
5.30am
Bellis
Maria
5.45am
Sugita
Benchetrit
5.45am
Vondrousova
Kuznetsova
6am
Karlovic
Pospisil
6am
Eubanks
Gojowczyk
6am
Isner
Monteiro
6.30am
Gaston
Munar
6.30am
Delbonis
Sousa
6.30am
Goffin
Chardy
7am
Fritz
Griekspoor
7am
Cuevas
Simon
7am
Paolini
Blinkova
7.15am
Suarez Navarro
Sabalenka
7.15am
Sorribes Tormo
Kudermetova
7.30am
Swiatek
Babos
7.45am
Dart
Doi
8am
Ivashka
Anderson
8am
Tabilo
Elahi Galan
8am
Medvedev
Tiafoe
8am
Sharma
Kontaveit
8am
Brady
Halep
8.30am
Koepfer
Martinez
8.30am
Pliskova
Watson
8.30am
Townsend
Pegula
8.30am
Mertens
Kovinic
8.45am
Kozlova
Hon
9am
Ruud
Gerasimov
9.30am
Cecchinato
Zverev
9.30am
Pavlyuchenkova
Stojanovic
10am
Cocciaretto
Kerber
Turkish Super Lig
Serie B
Eerste Divisie

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