Djokovic extends run at No. 1

LONDON, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Novak Djokovic battled through nearly 11 hours of tennis in his last two matches in taking the Australian Open and continuing his run as the No. 1 men's player.

Djokovic's incredible run in 2011, which started with the Australian Open, had ensured that he wouldn't be threatened in Melbourne to lose the No. 1-ranking, which he took over from Rafael Nadal last July.

But he still protected it in style, defeating Andy Murray 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 7-5 in a semifinal match Friday that lasted 4 hours, 50 minutes and then topping Nadal for the title 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 in a record-long final of 5 hours, 53 minutes.

Nadal beat Roger Federer in the other semifinal.

With those four -- the year-end top four ranked players -- in the semifinals and six of the Top Eight in the quarterfinals, there was only one change in the Top 10 after the year's first major tournament.

That came from Juan Martin del Potro, who moves from 11th to No. 10 after a quarterfinal appearance in Melbourne. The other relative outlier in the Australian Open quarterfinals was Kei Nishikori, who moves up six spots to No. 20.

Djokovic is No. 1 for a 32nd consecutive week. He has 13,630 rating points, still well ahead of Nadal's total of 10,435. Federer (8,010) remains third and Murray, whose point total slips to 6,900, is fourth.

David Ferrer (4,565) keeps the No. 5 spot ahead of sixth-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (4,425) and No. 7 Tomas Berdych (2,965). Mardy Fish, despite a first-round loss in Melbourne, remains No. 8 with 2,965 points and Janko Tipsarevic (2,700) is again No. 9.

Del Potro's jump to No. 9, with 2,630 points, knocks Nicolas Almagro (2,380) to 11th.