Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal took pleasure from the pain as they expanded the boundaries of men's tennis with their marathon Australian Open final.
Djokovic won a breathtaking match 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (7-5), 7-5 after nearly six hours, ending at 1.37am yesterday.
Djokovic rated it the greatest win of his career, primarily because he was able to pass the physical and mental torture test it inflicted to secure his fifth Grand Slam title.
''You are in pain, you are suffering, you are trying to activate your legs, your toes are bleeding, it is outrageous,'' Djokovic said.
''But you are still enjoying that pain. To be able to mentally hang in there and physically, it was obvious to everyone watching that we took every last drop of energy we had from our bodies.
''We put 100 per cent of our abilities and our bodies on the line. Unfortunately there couldn't be two winners.''
Nadal agreed after a match in which neither player called for a trainer, yet both finished out on their feet.
''When you are fit, when you have passion for the game, you are able to suffer and enjoy suffering,'' Nadal said.
At five hours and 53 minutes, it was the longest Grand Slam final ever.
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