Wounded Djokovic faces fire from young guns at Australian Open
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[January 11, 2024]
By Shrivathsa Sridhar
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic will bring his simmering
rivalry with two young guns of the men's game to the Australian Open
where his hunt for a record-extending 11th title and 25th Grand Slam
crown overall carries an air of inevitability despite an early loss
in 2024.
The 36-year-old defied the odds to raise the Norman Brookes
Challenge Cup last year as he overcame a ruptured hamstring and a
distracting political row involving his father to win, before going
past Rafa Nadal's tally of 22 majors at the French Open.
He claimed a third Grand Slam trophy late last season at the U.S.
Open but not before being denied the Wimbledon title by the
20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster five-set final, a result
which was briefly heralded as the dawn of a new era.
Jannik Sinner, 22, emerged as another contender to carry the torch
by defeating Djokovic three times in 11 days at the ATP Finals and
Davis Cup, and the young duo will sniff an opportunity to dethrone
the world number one at his fortress.
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Djokovic, who missed the 2022 Australian Open due to being deported
over his COVID vaccine stance, was hampered by a right wrist injury
at the United Cup last week and saw his 43-match winning streak in
Australia finally snapped by Alex de Minaur.
It was only his second defeat in the country since a fourth-round
loss to South Korea's Chung Hyeon in the 2018 Australian Open, where
the Serb was plagued by an elbow issue.
With an 89-8 record at the year's first Grand Slam, Djokovic will
still be the firm favorite to claim a fifth title in six years and
go past Australian Margaret Court's haul of 24 major singles
trophies.
Boris Becker, who previously coached Djokovic, believes the current
crop of youngsters will test him more frequently.
"I still expect Djokovic to win a Grand Slam or two. But I also
believe Alcaraz and Co. will more often throw a spanner in the
works," said Becker, who now coaches young Dane Holger Rune,
Djokovic's conqueror in the 2022 Paris Masters final.
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![](../images/011124PIX/sports17.jpg)
Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States -
September 8, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning
his semi final match against Ben Shelton of the U.S. REUTERS/Mike
Segar/File Photo
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"I hope this rivalry between the most successful
player of all time and the rest of the tennis world continues for a
long time, because we fans and amateur players benefit from it."
While the future of the game is in good hands, one of Djokovic's
fiercest rivals over the years will not return to major tennis as
planned in Australia with Nadal pulling out due to a small muscle
tear sustained during his defeat in Brisbane.
The Spaniard, who won his second Australian Open title in the Serb's
absence in 2022, was on the comeback trail following hip surgery and
now faces fresh doubts about his ability to compete at the elite
level again having already said he expects to finish his career in
2024.
Former U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev was among the most
consistent hardcourt players last year and the Russian will eye
another run to the final, hoping to banish memories of back-to-back
defeats by Djokovic (2021) and Nadal (2022).
Other challengers include last year's runner-up Stfanos Tsitsipas,
the rejuvenated Alexander Zverev and a rising brigade of Americans
led by Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
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