This time there will be no setbacks or expulsions from the continent: Novak Djokovic will play the next Australian Open, which starts on January 16 in Melbourne, but before that the Serb will be able to try again the taste of playing in Oceania at the Adelaide 250.
Nole Djokovic will hunt for his tenth seal in Melbourne to reach double the number in a single great that only Rafael Nadal has achieved at Roland Garros (the Spaniard has triumphed 14 times in Paris). Despite this, the 35-year-old from Belgrade can already boast numerous records in the first Slam that he disputes every year.
Let’s start with the most obvious: with his 9 victories in Melbourne (the first in 2007 against Tsonga) Djokovic establishes himself in the first place of this special classification, having surpassed Roger Federer and Roy Emerson, who have lifted this trophy six times.
Triumphing at the Australian Open, the Serb could catch Nadal again in a total of 22 slams and continue the fight until the last major. More in detail, Djokovic could extend his winning streak of consecutive singles matches at the tournament.
At the moment, the defending champion of the 2022 Finals is stuck at 29 games and has not lost a match in Melbourne since 2018, when he had to surrender to Korean Hyeon Chung in the fourth round. Speaking of back-to-back wins, he also boasts sixteen wins in a row against Top 10 players, only losing once on 26 occasions.
If you look at the numbers, Djokovic has won 97 of the 107 matches played in Australian tournaments (including the ATP Cup and the Adelaide 250), the most in Australian history. Djokovic has also defeated 27 of the 32 tennis players in the top ten, with a much higher percentage (84.40%) than he has achieved in his career (213 to 102, that is, 67.60%).
In short, Novak Djokovic, first in Adelaide and then at the Australian Open, could score titles number 92 and 93 of his immense tennis career. Again, there is an endless duality with Rafael Nadal, who has lifted 92 singles titles in his career, and therefore currently one more than Djokovic.
Djokovic is happy to have returned to Australia
Novak Djokovic stated that he is unlikely to ever forget the events that transpired during his previous visit to Australia. “Obviously what happened 12 months ago was not easy for me, for my family, team, anybody who is close to me.
It’s obviously disappointing to leave the country like that,” he said. “You can’t forget those events. It’s one of these things that stays with you for I guess the rest of your life. It’s something that I’ve never experienced before and hopefully never again,” he added.
