Video - The day when Nadal and Djokovic could no longer stand after their Australian Open 2012 final

© AFP

Arthur Millot

le 13/10/2025 à 13h31

1 min to read

Djokovic Nadal Rinderknech Shanghai

It was a summer night in Melbourne, but what the tennis world experienced that evening was almost mythical. On January 29, 2012, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic faced off for the title at the Australian Open.

But what no one had predicted was that this match would become the longest final in Grand Slam history: victory for the Serbian (5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5) after 5 hours and 53 minutes of battle.

At the end of this fight, the two legends, literally at the end of their strength, could no longer remain standing during the awards ceremony. Two chairs had to be brought for them.

But ironically, several years later, this scene also occurred with Arthur Rinderknech during the Shanghai Masters 1000 final in 2025. A nod therefore to the two members of the Big 3.

Footage to be found below.