What’s the first thing you think of when you hear “Novak Djokovic” and “Australian Open”?
Is it the vaccination drama and international incident that played out last winter, resulting in Djokovic’s deportation from Down Under?
Or is it the nine-time champion’s utter mastery at the hardcourt event, comprising the lion’s share of his career total of 21 major titles?
The facts remain: Djokovic has been remanded to an Australian immigration detention facility (once) more often in the past four years than he has lost a match at the Australian Open (21-0).
The 35-year-old Djokovic has won the past three Australian Opens he has been permitted to enter — here’s a trivia answer: the last player to beat him in Melbourne was Chung Hyeon, in the fourth round in 2018 — and he’s the odds-on favorite (−120, BetMGM) to make it four in a row later this month.
Djokovic confirmed his status as the man to beat last week when he won the the Adelaide warmup tournament, saving a match point en route to defeating American up-and-comer Sebastian Korda in the final, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4.
And his path to a record-tying 22nd major cleared considerably when world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was forced to withdraw due to a hamstring injury.
It’s fair to say the two opponents that have the best chances to derail Djokovic at the Australian Open — now that he has a legal visa, that is — are his famously combustible temper and his penchant for mystery aches and pains, both of which also showed up in Adelaide.
Djokovic complained after a semifinal win over Daniil Medvedev of a tight hamstring. And he had a minor meltdown during the final, berating coach Goran Ivanisevic and others in his box when he was trailing, insisting that some of his entourage leave the court.
“I’d like to thank my team for handling me, tolerating me in the good and bad times today,” Djokovic said afterward. “I’m sure they didn’t have such a blast with me going back and forth with them, but I appreciate them being here.”
Remember, in the 11 majors held since the start of 2020, Djokovic has five titles, two absences due to his unvaccinated status, two losses to Rafael Nadal at the French Open (which, in tennis terms, hardly count as losses), one loss to Medvedev (2021 US Open final) and one DQ for angrily hitting a ball that struck a lineswoman in the throat (2020 US Open).
In the unlikely event Djokovic loses a match at this Australian Open, which begins Monday, the contenders to knock him off might be: Medvedev, Nadal, fresh-faced bazooka hitters Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger Aliassime and Jannik Sinner, and — wouldn’t this be something — the even more mercurial Nick Kyrgios.
