After a thrilling five-set classic, Novak Djokovic turned his dreams into yet more ridiculous reality as he triumphed 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 against Austrian challenger Dominic Thiem at the Rod Laver Arena.

The Serbian powerhouse Djokovic had already won the Australian Open a record seven times, but he extended his own record in Oz, and in doing so, became the only man in tennis history to win Grand Slam singles events in three different decades.

That Djokovic was two sets to one down against the younger man and still emerged from the hard court victorious should surprise no-one. As he said in his acceptance speech, this is a man who knows how to triumph over adversity, who came from nothing to become the heir incumbent to the title of the Greatest of All Time. It no longer seems a case of whether Djokovic can beat Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Race to 21 Grand Slam singles titles.

It looks merely a matter of when.