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Now the Australian Open has drawn to a close, we look back on the moments that made the tournament one to remember.
It brought us some dramatic finals, but there were also a few great moments in between that might have slipped your attention.
Without further delay, here are our top eight moments from the 2019 tournament:
8. Djokovic gave a young ball boy an experience of a lifetime
After his win in the men's singles final against Spaniard Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic came back on the court with his glistening, silver trophy to pose with the ball kids, as is custom.
But the ball kids crouching down next to Djokovic got more than just a picture for the mantelpiece.
As the camera shutters clicked away, Djokovic motioned to the ball kids next to him to place their hands on the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup from his $4.1 million win.
He then asked the ball boy next to him to take the trophy.
It was a rare moment, and most likely one this kid will not forget.
7. Pliskova's superfan gave us an 'aww' moment
The Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova stunned everyone in her quarter-final win against Serena Williams, even the US tennis star herself.
"I can't say that I choked on those match points," Williams said, post-match. "She literally played her best tennis ever on those shots."
But as world number eight Pliskova clinched her victory against Williams, one fired-up fan roared from the stands.
It was her husband, Michal Hrdlicka.
6. Alcott casually picked up his fifth Grand Slam
Dylan Alcott continued to dominate, winning the men's quad wheelchair singles title for the fifth-straight time.
It was the 28-year-old's seventh major title. No big deal.
The final against 44-year-old American David Wagner carried some nervous moments, but the six-time major winner ultimately couldn't keep his momentum going in a tiebreaker dominated by Alcott.
5. There was a close call for one umpire
A rogue "spidercam" smashed into a canopy centimetres from the chair umpire Alison Hughes's head, moments after Ash Barty beat Maria Sharapova at Rod Laver Arena.
The camera system, which was suspended over the court by a system of cables, hurtled straight into the canopy and sent it toppling to the ground.
It was such a close call that the malfunction is being investigated by WorkSafe.
4. A young Greek went head to head with his idol
Twenty-year-old wunderkind Stefanos Tsitsipas was "the happiest man on Earth" after beating his childhood hero Roger Federer in four sets.
Tsitsipas began watching footage of Federer when he was just six years old and, in a post-match press conference, said playing against the Swiss was something he would "never, ever, ever forget".
"This match point is going to stay — I'm pretty much sure — forever, for the rest of my life."
Tsitsipas backed up his win against Federer in their quarter-final, beating 23rd seed Roberto Bautista Agut, but ultimately he couldn't get around world number two Rafael Nadal in the semis.
3. Ball boy takes a screamer
Imagine the internal pressure not to drop that ball in front of a stadium full of people.
But this ball kid kept his cool, catching the ball easily to a cheering crowd.
2. Kvitova made an inspiring comeback
Petra Kvitova made a strong comeback following a horrific home invasion in 2016 in which she was attacked by a knife-wielding intruder in her home in the Czech Republic.
The two-time Wimbledon champion had to undergo almost four hours of surgery on her playing hand after sustaining damage to her tendons and nerves.
She had to sit out the 2017 Australian Open and it would be months before she was able to fully train after that.
She made it to the 2019 Australian Open final, her first major tournament decider since the attack, going up against Japan's Naomi Osaka.
1. Osaka got to shine
In the end, Naomi Osaka won the Australian Open final.
And this time, she was able to celebrate her triumph, with the 21-year-old beaming at the crowd after clinching her win in the third set against Kvitova.
It was a euphoric moment after last year's controversial US Open final against Serena Williams that left Osaka in tears during the presentation ceremony, pulling her visor over her face as boos rained down from the New York crowd.
This time around, Osaka basked in her victory of becoming the new world number one.
Topics: tennis, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia
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