The Australian Open brings back a flood of memories for fans and players alike, and we are just a matter of days before the first Grand Slam of the campaign gets underway.
The hard court king and his best Australian Open Moments
Despite sitting out the 2021 edition following a protracted Visa scandal that saw him deported, Novak Djokovic will return for this year’s tournament. With nine wins under his belt in Melbourne, no other male player of the modern era has dominated this event in the manner Djokovic has done. He is in a running battle with Rafael Nadal to be the most decorated Grand Slam player of all time, and a triumph Down Under will see him draw level with the mercurial Spaniard on 22 titles. But can Djokovic get to double figures in Australia? We will have all the best betting offers advertised at USbetting24 for you to look at. To whet your appetite, we have decided to take a moment to reflect on five of our favorite Djokovic moments at the Australian Open.
First Australian Open title (2008)
It’s amazing to think that it was 15 years ago that Djokovic contested his first Australian Open Final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. But the first one is always special, and of course, the first triumph is amazing, right? While the Frenchman appeared to have Djokovic on the canvas after the first set, this was a clear example of how the Serbian’s mental fortitude and relentlessness from the baseline that helped him get over the line. A four-set victory marked an exceptional performance and an amazing fortnight for Djokovic.
Epic win over Rafael Nadal (2012)
With roughly 60 meetings between them on the ATP Tour, it has also proved to be one of the most storied encounters in Grand Slam Finals. And the Australian Open 2012 Final was a match for the ages. It contained everything and the match lasted a jaw-dropping five hours and 53 minutes — the longest final in men’s history. Straight after the match, Djokovic tore off his shirt and roared in delight. The trophy celebration even saw the players dispense with tradition as they were forced to take a seat due to sheer exhaustion.
Fends off Stan Wawrinka in titanic clash (2013)
12 months previously, Djokovic expended nearly six hours on court as he saw off Nadal. But this time, it was the hard-hitting Stan Wawrinka that posed a significant problem on the other side of the net. At one point, Djokovic found himself trailing by nearly two sets, but he showed his typical mental fortitude to prevail. Indeed, the match finished at 1.41 am local time when Djokovic flashed a cross-court backhand past Wawrinka and Djokovic admitted it was one of the most “interesting and exciting” matches of his career to date.
Puts Andy Murray to the sword (2016)
Spare a thought for Andy Murray. Five Australian Open Finals and five defeats is something that will perhaps always haunt him. But then again, he generally faced the likes of Djokovic and Roger Federer. While the 2016 Final was arguably one sided, Djokovic wouldn’t have cared one jot. Although the odds were against Murray as he had a day less to recover and had come through a bruising five-set battle in the semi-final. But Murray wasn’t quite at the races. Djokovic came out firing and he wrapped up the first set in 30 minutes.
Murray tried to make more of a fist of things in the second, but he was edged out, and two double faults in a third set proved to be his downfall., The victory brought up Djokovic’s sixth Australian Open title, and it was a remarkable achievement.
Mounts comeback to pip Dominic Thiem (2020)
Dominic Thiem was one of the outstanding players of his generation, and while injury has derailed things, it is perhaps a surprise when at his peak that he wasn’t able to collect more Slam titles. But as we know at the Australian Open, Djokovic has often worn the cloak of invincibility and he has reached the very high standards he sets for himself. Although he appeared to be in a world of trouble when trailing by two sets to one against the diminutive Austrian, Djokovic hauled himself back into the contest and prevailed in five gripping sets.
There seemed to be little between the pair, and Djokovic won eight more points (157) in the match. Nevertheless, this heralded Djokovic’s eighth triumph Down Under and it was one of the finest comebacks in his extraordinary career.
