Novak Djokovic: very tough to beat at, and before, the Australian Open

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is the most successful man in Australian Open history, winning the title eight times (overall, he’s second only to Margaret Court, who won the women’s title 11 times). But Djokovic’s heroics at the first Grand Slam of the year don’t just come out of nowhere.

He’s just as dangerous in the Australian Open lead-up season.

Djokovic has won 19 of his last 20 matches at Australian Open lead-up events, going 5-0 to win Doha in 2016, 5-0 to win Doha again in 2017, 3-1 en route to a semifinal finish at Doha in 2019 (falling to Roberto Bautista Agut) and 6-0 at the ATP Cup last year, where he led Serbia to the title.

In the only loss, Djokovic was up a set and a break against Bautista Agut, at 6-3, 4-3, and was two points from winning the ensuing second set tie-break, before falling in a nail-biter, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4.

“I thought I was pretty much in control of the match,” Djokovic said afterwards. “He played a good game. I missed some easy balls and that’s what you get as a result of losing the focus in the most important moments. It happens, it happens. I want to congratulate him, especially in the third set he played well. I thought he was hitting the ball very cleanly and not making a lot of unforced errors.”

Asked what his goals for the Australian Open were after that loss, Djokovic didn’t hesitate.

“A trophy,” he replied.

A few weeks later, the Serb was lifting his seventh Australian Open trophy, handing Rafael Nadal his first ever straight-sets loss in a Grand Slam final, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

Djokovic has won half of the Australian Opens he’s played (8 of 16), going 75-8 (.904). Similarly, he’s won half of all the Australian Open lead-up events he’s played (4 of 8), with a 28-4 record (.875).

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In a few days, the Serb will kick off his 2021 campaign at the second edition of the ATP Cup, and he already knows his first two opponents—he’ll play Denis Shapovalov on Tuesday as part of Serbia’s round-robin tie against Canada, then Alexander Zverev on Thursday, as Serbia takes on Germany.

Djokovic has beaten Shapovalov all five times they’ve played, but he barely escaped their last encounter in the quarterfinals of last year’s ATP Cup, serving to stay in the match at 5-6 in the third set before finally prevailing after two hours and 40 minutes, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4).

"This is the closest match that I have ever played against him," Djokovic said in his on-court interview. "The match was so close it could have gone a different way, easily. He was playing terrific tennis."

Djokovic is 4-2 against Zverev, losing to the German in the finals of Rome in 2017 and the ATP Finals in 2018, but winning their last two meetings in straight sets in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros in 2019, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2; and in the round-robin stage of the ATP Finals last November, 6-3, 7-6 (4).