Records Novak Djokovic chasing at Australian Open 2024: Inching closer to Federer, 24 no longer the magic number
Age is just a number, and Novak Djokovic is among the epitomes in tennis history. Even at 36, against some supremely talented group of youngsters.
With Rafael Nadal out with his injury and Roger Federer retired two years back, Djokovic is the man to beat. Such has been the story in the build-up to the last four Grand Slams, but it remains the same for the 2024 Australian Open as well, where the Serb will begin his campaign on Sunday on the iconic Rod Laver Arena in a bid to successfully defend his title.
Djokovic heads to Australia on the back of a remarkable and record-breaking 2023 season. Exactly a year back, the 36-year-old made an emotional return to the country after having missed the 2022 edition amid a Covid scandal where he was barred from entering Australia, let alone participating in the Slam to defend his crown, as he failed to follow the government rules over vaccination against the dreaded virus for foreign travellers. The wound was, however, healed after Djokovic comfortably beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to win his 22nd major and 10th at the Australian Open.
Later in 2023, in the absence of then-reigning champion Nadal at the Roland Garros, Djokovic added a 23rd Slam to his name, going past the Spaniard in the all-time men’s singles list, and later went past the legendary Serena Williams for most majors won, male or female, in Open Era after he lifted the US Open title for the fourth time in his career on return to New York after two years, having missed the 2022 edition owing to a similar Covid fiasco.
25 is now the MAGIC number
Djokovic could have taken his tally to 25 Grand Slams, and only stood a set away from claiming it at the Wimbledon last year. But the brilliance of Carlos Alcaraz denied him that shot at history. Six months hence, Djokovic’s intentions still remain the same. At one of his favourite venues and in one of his favourite Slams, the Serb stands as the favourite to lift the title yet again. The win would subsequently make him the first player in tennis history, male or female, to lift 25 Grand Slams. He currently stands tied with Margaret Court, although 11 of her 24 majors were won in the Open Era (after 1968), while 13 others were claimed during the Amateur Era. It would only be another feather to decorate a career that is already the greatest ever.
Federer and Nadal in sight
Djokovic is already the male tennis player with most Australian Open titles won. He has four more than what Roy Emerson and Federer achieved in their careers, yet he stands second overall, with Court leading the chart again in the singles category with 11 trophies (7 in the Amateur Era and 4 in Open Era).
Having made his debut at Melbourne Park in 2005, Djokovic won his first trophy in the Australian Open in 2008, when he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final. En route to his tally of 10 titles, Djokovic recorded a win percentage of 92 in this Slam, which comprises 89 wins, the second-most by a player in the Australian Open, with Federer leading the chart (102 wins). Even if the Serb goes on to defend his crown, Federer’s record will remain untouched, at least for 2024, but Djokovic will become the first man to have 90 or more wins at three different Slams. He 92 matches each at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, while his tally at US Open stands at 88.
What makes Djokovic’s record even more threatening in Melbourne is that he lost only eight times in this Slam, the last of which happened in 2018, when an unheralded Hyeon Chung shocked world tennis with a straight-set win in the pre-quarters. Djokovic has since won the title four consecutive times, between 2019 and 2023. And if things stay perfect for the 24-time Grand Slam winner over the next fortnight, he could equal the third player to win five titles in a row at a single Slam after Bjorn Borg (Wimbledon, 1976 to 1980), Federer (Wimbledon, 2003 to 2007; US Open, 2004 to 2008) and Nadal (French Open, 2010 to 2014).