Australian Open 2020 - 'He knows how to win on this court' - Wilander highlights Djokovic's tenacity

"The fact that he let go in that third set and didn't spend too much energy - I think we saw in that fourth set he pushed the accelerator to the floor," Wilander told Barbara Schett.

Djokovic fell two sets to one behind, calling for medical attention at one point, and Wilander acknowledged that the Serb looked tired during the middle portion of the match.

But he fought back, and Wilander summed it up: "Novak Djokovic - he knows how to win on this court."

"He has won all eight finals. Today he looked like he was down and out...somehow in the fourth and fifth set, he's a better player...he's so good on Rod Laver Arena."

Wilander thought the clash Djokovic had with the umpire regarding a time violation went some way to firing him up.

"Novak was not happy about it...somehow he turns it around, he gets fired up and a little bit angry, and it worked in his favour."

Djokovic moves back to the top of the ATP rankings with that victory, and Wilander agreed: "He's clearly the best hard-court player ever, I think he is the best player in the world and has been for a few years."

Wilander also had kind words for runner-up Dominic Thiem, in particular praising the risks he began to take with his forehand in the second and third sets.

"He was slower to the forehand, and slower around the ball," Wilander observed about the Austrian's performance in the fifth set, wondering whether some of the lengthy matches he played en route to the final might have ultimately drained him physically.

"It's tough to win that first Grand Slam...it's not about winning the final, it's playing every single match along the way."