Tennis: Novak Djokovic kicks out his own brother during epic Adelaide International 1 final

An excited Novak Djokovic has saved a match point en route to defeating world No. 33 Sebastian Korda in an epic three-set thriller in the Adelaide International 1 final.

Djokovic produced a nerveless overhead smash while moving backwards to save championship points in the second set of Sunday night’s decider.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Novak Djokovic throws his own brother out of the Adelaide International 1 final.

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The 21-time Grand Slam champion was pushed to the limit before going 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (7-3), 6-6 in a match that lasted three hours and eight minutes : 4 interspersed.

After the hotly contested first set didn’t go Djokovic’s way, he unleashed a sensational outburst from his players’ box and even ordered two members of his entourage – including his brother – to leave.

Former Australian tennis player and coach Roger Rasheed couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“He got angry. It’s unusual,” Rasheed said. “He pointed to his box and two out of five members are no longer there.

“That’s probably living proof that he’s dying to win this final. He’s put on his game face mixed with a bit of anger at the moment.”

The Serbian champions, who won this event for the first time in 2007, apologized for the outburst after the game.

“I want to thank my team for treating me and for tolerating me in good times and bad today,” Djokovic said.

“I’m sure they didn’t enjoy me going back and forth with them. My brother Mark was here too, I don’t see him that often. So, I appreciate you coming, Mark. Loving You.

“It was a great week and you made it even more special for me.

“I gave everything today and all week to get my hands on the trophy.”

Djokovic pinched his left hamstring in Saturday’s semi-final win over Daniil Medvedev, but overcame the setback in the final against Korda.

The win was a big boost in confidence for Djokovic, who is aiming for a 10th Australian Open crown later this month.

The win also extended his winning streak in Australia to 34 games over five years.

Korda, the 22-year-old American son of 1998 Czech Australian Open winner Petr Korda, won many fans with an amazing performance against one of the greatest players of all time.

The first set was a gripping affair with numerous momentum swings and set points for both players.

Korda snagged the crucial break for a 5-4 lead but missed three set points at 40-0 to allow Djokovic to break and level the contest.

Djokovic was unable to convert his own set point at 6-5 as Korda unleashed a powerful serve.

The tiebreak was even more intense, with Korda choking again at crucial moments.

Korda gambled away a 6-3 lead, the third of those set points being a horror shot from close range when he took control of most of the court.

Djokovic also had a moment to forget as the 35-year-old framed a shot into the crowd during his own set point.

Korda eventually coped well with his seventh set point, and Djokovic vented his frustrations on his support box.

The second set was a close affair but Korda clinched a championship point with Djokovic’s serve.

Djokovic saved the match point with his nervous overhead smash and he came with the goods to level the match.

The third set seemed headed for a tie-break before Djokovic struck as Korda consolidated late.

“I wish we could have gotten it done today, but there’s still a long way to go and there have been a lot of positives,” Korda said.

– With AAP