Sinner’s run of thirty-three straight victories came to an end, while Novak Djokovic suffered his first defeat in Melbourne since 2018. The 24-time Grand Slam champion wanted to overtake Margaret Court in the record for the most major wins ever.
“Playing like this doesn’t feel very enjoyable,” stated Djokovic, 36. However, I must give Sinner credit for outperforming me in every facet of the game.” Despite falling short in four sets, Djokovic, who finished last year’s career-best season with three major titles under his belt, will continue to be the world’s best player in the men’s division. He was, however, thoroughly outclassed by Italian fourth seed Sinner in Melbourne Park last week, and it’s possible that he has never played at a comparable level.
Against Sinner’s 32 wins, Djokovic made 54 unintentional mistakes and failed to convert a single break point. “I wish to congratulate Sinner for playing a fantastic match and a fantastic tournament,” Djokovic declared. It was right that he was in the final. He outperformed me in every way.” “I was unpleasantly astonished by my own aptitude. In the first two sets, I wasn’t doing a lot of things correctly. This is, in my opinion, one of the worst Grand Slam matches I have ever participated in.”
Not the start of the end, according to Djokovic
Djokovic remarked following his defeat by Sinner that he had “a warm brain” and that it will be “difficult to think more deeply” about going outside for a few more days. However, he stated that his objectives for the remainder of the season have not changed. Djokovic declared, “I still have high hopes for playing other Slams, the Olympics, and whatever tournaments I play,” after winning all ten of his prior Australian Open semifinals. The season is only getting started.”
“I’m not used to this feeling at all. It has been tremendously fulfilling to begin my season winning Grand Slams and never losing in the semifinals or finals of the Australian Open.”
Thus, albeit a little different this time, the idea remains the same. The level I often play at or anticipate from myself was not met by this tournament.” “But that doesn’t mean it’s the beginning of the end, as some people like to say.”
What’s left for Djokovic to accomplish?
Even though Djokovic has nearly everything in the sport under his belt and will turn 37 at the end of May, his desire for achievement is still strong. Last month, Djokovic was asked how he can put up a fantastic performance in the 2023 season, and he started answering before the question was even answered. Before the United Cup match, Djokovic grinned and joked, “All right, you can win four Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal.” Although that dream is now over, he can still accomplish his two key goals:
- Having won 25 Grand Slam singles titles by yourself
- Winning an Olympic gold medal, which is still a ways off.
Even while it’s difficult to refute Djokovic’s status as the best player of all time, Australia’s court presently ranks higher than him according to the most widely accepted measure of greatness. Like other elite athletes, Djokovic prioritizes the Grand Slam and has pushed himself to the limit in recent years to win the biggest titles.
Djokovic has benefited from the decision, winning seven of the eleven Majors that have been contested since the 2021 season began. He has the ability to outperform his peers Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer thanks to his dominance. He will have another chance to leave the court in May at the French Open.
His second emphasis is the Olympics, and his recent defeat in the Games demonstrated the depth of his mental toughness in trying to win gold. He was devastated to exit the court in Rio 2016 after losing to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina in the first round, and he was also left feeling let down after losing to Alexander Zverev of Germany in the Tokyo 2020 semifinals.
Djokovic will join the ranks of Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Williams, and Rafael Nadal as the only players to have accomplished a “Golden Slam” in their career if he prevails in Paris in 2024. When Graf triumphed in 1988, she became the only player to win the Olympics and all four majors in one year. “Let’s see what happens in the rest of the season,” Djokovic stated in reference to his departure from Melbourne Park.