World No.1 Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in the longest final in grand slam history to retain the Australian Open title in Melbourne.
Djokovic has now won four out of the last five grand slams, beating Nadal in three successive finals, to underline his domination of men's tennis, but it took him seven minutes short of six hours to see off the Spaniard in an epic final.
After hitting the winning shot for a 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 7-5 victory, Djokovic lay on his back in triumph before ripping off his shirt, pumping his chest in triumph as he walked to the players' box to embrace his coach.
The match ended at 1.40 am local time Monday and was 59 minutes longer than the previous record, the 1988 U.S. Open final between Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl.
It also broke the record for the longest match at the Australian Open, the five hours 14 minutes set by Nadal and Fernando Verdasco in 2009.
'Rafa, you're one of the best players ever.' said Djokovic at the trophy presentation..