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Melbourne, Australia — HEAD racquet rebel Novak Djokovic claimed his hat-trick of titles at the Australian Open as he beat Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 to win his fifth career Grand Slam trophy. The Serb, playing with his YouTek IG Speed MP, won the longest final in Grand Slam history lasting five hours, 53 minutes. The 24 year-old HEAD Ace has now beaten Nadal in seven consecutive finals and continues to stand on top of the world rankings in men’s tennis. Djokovic’s victory was his fourth in the last five Grand Slams.

After more than four hours of play and a minor rain delay the epic match went to a deciding fifth set. Djokovic came back from a break down, getting it straight back for 3-4 and broke again for 6-5, before hitting his winning forehand on the first match point to end a truly epic final.

“Rafa and I made history tonight,” said Djokovic, who stripped off his shirt and paraded around the court pounding his fist on his heart after the emotional triumph. “Unfortunately there could not be two winners. I’m sure we will play many more finals.” Novak continued saying, “my team was fantastic with their support in my professional and private life. Without them, this victory would not be possible. The crowd was so loud that sometimes it did not feel like a tennis court. It’s a pleasure to play here.”

Maria Sharapova’s bid for a fourth career title at a Grand Slam was derailed by Victoria Azarenka, who claimed a 6-3, 6-0 victory in the women’s final. Sharapova, playing with her YouTek IG Instinct MP, had been hoping to duplicate her title from 2008 but ran into the on-form Azarenka, who also takes over the No. 1 spot in the WTA ranking for the first time.

“Congratulations to Victoria,” said Sharapova. “it was an honor to play her. In any sport you have good days and tough days; it didn’t work out for me today”. The Australian Open was Sharapova’s first event of the season after recovering from an ankle injury.

In women’s doubles, HEAD YouTek IG Extreme player Svetlana Kuznetsova teamed with fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva to win the trophy over Italians Sara Errani and fellow HEAD player Roberta Vinci 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. It was the second Australian open doubles crown for Kuznetsova, who had won in Melbourne in 2005 with Alicia Molik.

Australian HEAD Racquet Rebel Luke Saville won his second Junior Grand Slam title after Wimbledon last summer. The youngster beat Canadian Filip Peliwo 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. “It feels good, a home slam”, said the winner confidently. “I guess I’m the best junior in the world at the moment in the rankings. But I don’t mind the expectations and the pressure and I’ve handled it well.“