The 2021 Australian Open finals are set! Novak Djokovic (1) will play Daniil Medvedev (4) for a shot at the title. This matchup is not a shocker. After all, both these players are the best in the world on a hard court. They were our co-tournament favorites, and here they are. The storyline of this final will be whether Djokovic can continue to establish his dominance over both the Australian Open and hard courts, or whether the young gun is ready to topple the king.

Medvedev has been rising rapidly, making the 2019 US Open final and winning the 2020 ATP finals. At the Australian Open, he’s pretty much ripped through the draw. Novak’s journey in the last few months has been a lot bumpier. He was defaulted at the 2020 US Open, humiliated by Nadal at the 2020 French Open final, and handled by Thiem in the ATP Finals semis. One gets the impression that the tide may finally be turning on his dominance.

The Road to the Final

Novak’s road to the final was filled with entertaining and dramatic tennis. He’s had to work a lot harder, playing three fourth setters, and one five setter. There were also injury concerns throughout his road to the final. However, there’s some speculation that the injury is merely a tactic. In the past, Novak has proven to embellish on the many ailments that plague him during tournaments. Either way, the King of the Australian Open is now in the final again, and he’s extremely difficult to beat when he’s in an Australian Open final.

Medvedev on the other hand has breezed through the tournament, only experiencing a slight bump, playing a five setter against Krajinovic (28) in the third round. Other than that match, Medvedev swept through everyone in straight sets. Not only did he sweep the rest of the field in straight sets, but he also left top ten players like Tsitsipas (5) and Rublev (7) frustrated and made them look ordinary.

Predictions

It really does feel like this is Medvedev’s tournament to win or lose. There is a hunger and focus in his game right now that will be hard to beat. He also has Grand Slam final experience, which means nerves won’t be a factor. He also has momentum, having just picked up the ATP Finals title and the ATP Cup. Above all though, he’s playing sublime tennis. Djokovic won’t be easy to topple, however, if there’s somebody out there that can topple him, it’s Medvedev. Medvedev wins his first Grand Slam in four sets.