Djokovic triumphed at the Australian Open for the eighth time in his career, beating Austria’s Dominic Thiem in the men’s singles final at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

He triumphed 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final to secure the 17th Grand Slam title of his career.

Djokovic trades places again with Rafael Nadal at the top of the world rankings, with the Spaniard having overtaken him in November.

The 32-year-old has won all 13 matches he has contested so far this year.

This included leading Serbia to victory at the inaugural Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Cup event, which took place prior to the Australian Open.

“Novak has had a faultless start to the season, leading Serbia to victory at the ATP Cup and capturing a record eighth Australian Open crown,” said Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP chairman.

“He has proven yet again that he is the man to beat and his record in Australia is second to none.

“Many congratulations to Novak and his team on such impressive start to the year and his deserved return to world number one in the FedEx ATP Rankings.”

Djokovic has been world number one during nine of the past 10 seasons.

He can break Roger Federer’s record for most weeks at the number one ranking should he stay top of the rankings until October 5.

Federer’s record currently stands at 310 weeks.