Rafael Nadal has claimed that he 'enjoyed' the epic five-set Australian Open final thriller against Novak Djokovic, despite falling at the final hurdle.
The Spaniard lost a 7-5 4-6 2-6 7-5 5-7 match to the world number one in Melbourne yesterday after five hours and 53 minutes of play.
"You look around and you see the watch, five hours, four hours, three hours, finally five hours 53," said Nadal. "It seems like it's never going to finish. But it's nice to be there fighting, trying to go to the limit.
"It's something I really enjoy and I always said it is good to suffer. When you are fit and have passion for the game you are able to enjoy suffering."
The fierce contest between the top seeds will go down as the longest grand slam final in history.
