2024 Olympic gold excluded, humiliated
10 wins in Australia alone… A new record when winning
Shinner, Alcaras, etc. must be surpassed.
Novak Djokovic (38, Serbia, photo), considered the best player in men’s tennis history and the so-called GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), is challenging the singles record of 25 wins in major tournaments. The stage is the Australian Open, which is the first major tournament of the season that opens in Melbourne, Australia on the 12th and is no different from his ‘home garden’.
Djokovic experienced a mixture of glory and frustration last year. This is because he achieved the ‘Career Golden Grand Slam’ (4 major tournaments + Olympic singles championship) by winning a gold medal in the men’s singles event at the Paris Olympics, but failed to win the singles title in all 4 major tournaments that year. The four major tennis tournaments are the Australian Open, Wimbledon (All England Open), US Open, and French Open. It has been 7 years since 2017 that he has not won a trophy in these competitions in a single season.
Djokovic is the singles winner of the four major tournaments (24 times) among all male players. Including female players, it is the same as Margaret Court (83, Australia). If he adds just one win, he can stand tall as the winner of the most major tournaments among men and women. This is why attention is focused on Djokovic more than anyone else at this Australian Open. It also happens to be a tournament that matches well with Djokovic. He won his first major championship at the 2008 Australian Open, and has won the Australian Open 10 times so far.
In particular, except for the 2022 tournament, where participation was frustrated due to refusal to be vaccinated during the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) outbreak, he reached the top of the Australian Open from 2019 to 2023. If he had been vaccinated and had the opportunity to compete in 2022, he could have achieved his 5th consecutive victory.
However, Djokovic’s chances of winning this tournament seem relatively lower than in the past. It is not so overwhelming compared to its prime that its world ranking fell to 7th place. The fact that he ended up empty-handed in the four major tournaments last year is not unrelated to this.
In order for Djokovic to win his 25th major championship title, he must overcome the young and lively players born in the 2000s. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner (24, Italy) will participate in the Australian Open as a ‘defending champion.’ Last year’s Australian Open was Sinner’s first major championship. It was a great achievement by defeating Djokovic in the semifinals. Carlos Alcaras (22, Spain), ranked 3rd in the world, will challenge for the youngest career Grand Slam ever at this Australian Open. Alcaras won his first major title by winning the 2022 US Open, then won Wimbledon in 2023, French Open and Wimbledon in 2024. If you win the Australian Open, you will achieve the career grand slam. Since 1968, when professional players were allowed to participate in major tournaments, the youngest record ever is 24 years old, achieved by Rafael Nadal (retired, Spain), Alcaraz’s idol, in 2010.
Reporter Nam Jeong-hoon che@segye.com
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2025-01-12 12:19:00