What should have been the match of the tournament – of the young year, in fact – between the best players in the world, each of them fit, fresh and in form after barely hindered routes to the final of the Australian Open, disintegrated into an embarrassing one–man celebration for Novak Djokovic over Rafael Nadal.

His 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 win on Rod Laver Arena brought his career count against the Spaniard to 28–25, but it was one of the poorest of their contests, which stretch back to 2006. It earned Djokovic a record seventh Australian Open title – and his third major in a row. That is some roll. He owns three of the four and has the chance to do another Novak slam in Paris, Nadal’s only safe harbour left.

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The world No 1 has 15 grand slam titles in total, moving ahead of Pete Sampras, two behind Nadal and five behind Roger Federer. It is becoming increasingly likely that the dynamic of the three–cornered hegemony of the modern era is about to change over the course of the remaining three majors this season.

Djokovic was as magnificent as he has been in any of his many triumphs. He won 40 of 50 first serves, 16 of 19 on second attempt, hit eight aces and a mere nine unforced errors. Returning on and inside the baseline, he did not allow Nadal’s revamped serve to get out of second gear, and there were only a handful of rallies worthy of the occasion.

Responding to the accolades of former champions such as Mats Wilander and Pat Cash who described his performance as “absolute perfection” and “absolutely mind-blowing tennis”, Djokovic said: “It ranks right at the top. Playing against Nadal, such an important match, yeah, it’s amazing. Back-to-back semi-finals and finals, I think I made 15 unforced errors in two matches.”

Asked if he thought he could pass Federer’s 20 majors, he said: “Of course, it motivates me. How many seasons are to come? I don’t know. I do want to focus on continuing to improve my game and maintaining the overall well-being that I have – mental, physical, emotional – so I would be able to compete at such a high level for the years to come, and have a shot at eventually getting closer to Roger’s record.”

Quick guide Djokovic: grand slams on the rise Show Hide Djokovic has now moved clear of Pete Sampras in the list of all-time male grand slam winners: 20 Roger Federer

17 Rafael Nadal

15 Novak Djokovic

14 Pete Sampras

12 Roy Emerson

11 Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg

10 Bill Tilden Photograph: Xinhua/XinHua

He reflected on the fact that a year ago his career was in disarray. He needed elbow surgery and could hardly contemplate having the comeback he has had.

“Yes, 12 months ago it was highly unlikely I would be holding three slams. I just have to be conscious of that and understand that I’m blessed.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Novak Djokovic of Serbia fires back a forehand. Photograph: Hamish Blair/AAP

As for his rivalry with Nadal, he said: “I’m sure we’re still going to have a lot of matches against each other on different surfaces.”

When Djokovic cracked the Nadal serve after seven minutes, it was the first time the Spaniard had given an opponent a look in a set since James Duckworth broke him in the first round but he had regrouped so well he arrived at the final without dropping a set, keeping his court time down to a little over 12 hours in six matches.

It began to look as if Djokovic was going to do to Nadal what he had done to Lucas Pouille in the semi–finals, and what Nadal had done to Tomas Berdych in the fourth round. Djokovic was racing through his service games, while Nadal was fighting to stay in the point.

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He was still in it at 2–4 but had not taken a point off Djokovic’s first 16 serves. It was not until the ninth game that Nadal found some rhythm and spark off the ground, grabbing a point on the Djokovic serve after 33 minutes, his only success of the set.

Nadal was anxious and hurrying and it seemed his only hope of kickstarting a fightback was a Djokovic meltdown. In 224 matches in majors, Djokovic has lost only five after winning the first set. That was a brick wall that showed no sign of collapsing.

At the end of a rare competitive rally, Nadal tapped a balletic lob in the fifth game of the second set he thought had saved one of two break points but it drifted long and his suffering continued. After an hour, he still had not fashioned a break point of his own.

There was fight in him but none of the certainty or precision of the earlier rounds. When he dumped a backhand from the baseline to give up his serve for the third time – his 20th unforced error to Djokovic’s four in 85 points – he was a forlorn and frustrated figure.

Play Video 2:37 'Physically I couldn't push him': Nadal on his Australian Open loss to Djokovic – video

A hat–trick of Djokovic aces – each 119mph – to hold to love for a two–set lead was a dagger that went deep to the heart of Nadal’s resolve. Only three times in his career has he come back to win from such a deficit.

His opponent remained in a scarily fixed zone – the same one, it seems, he spoke about when making mincemeat of Pouille in the Frenchman’s first slam semi–final. But he was doing this to one of the greatest players. It was not a pretty sight.

Probably not since Nadal did the same to David Ferrer to win the French Open in 2013 has a grand slam final looked so lopsided. Nadal was being marched towards the gallows without even the benefit of a hood. As they embarked on the final stretch, the crowd indulged in the ultimate false empathy: overcheering Nadal’s occasional successes. He still punched the air, muscles rippling, but surely sensed the end was not far away.

At least they were finishing in the dark. The traditional night–time final looked at one point as if it might end before the glow of day had slipped away. As a spectacle, it had become engrossing for all the wrong reasons: an argument between old friends that had gone horribly wrong.

Playing for little more than dignity, Nadal was a passenger on Djokovic’s ship. When it docked, a little over two hours after they set sail, he was put ashore without ceremony, broken in his final service game.