Novak Djokovic endured two defeats in January, succumbing to Alex de Minaur at the United Cup and relinquishing the Australian Open title to Jannik Sinner. Despite these setbacks, the current world number one remains the player to beat, according to former WTA player Laura Robson.
Robson supports Djokovic’s ability to pursue significant titles throughout the rest of the season. However, she acknowledges that Djokovic will need to perform at his best against his closest rivals, as a mere 50% effort will not be enough to surpass them. Djokovic is currently enjoying his time away from the court and will make his return in Indian Wells, competing in the desert for the first time in five years.
The Serbian player’s focus remains on the four most crucial tournaments of the season, as he eagerly aims to challenge the younger generation of players and add more notable trophies to his collection. Djokovic encountered difficulties with a wrist injury at the United Cup, managing to defeat three opponents before being defeated by Alex de Minaur.
De Minaur secured a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Djokovic in an hour and 33 minutes, delivering an exceptional performance that ranks among the best of his career. The Australian player did not face a single break point, displaying flawless tennis behind his first serve while maintaining pressure on Djokovic.
In each set, Alex managed to break Novak’s serve once, controlling the scoreboard and leading Australia to victory. Djokovic had a 40-15 advantage in the seventh game of the opening set, but faced two break points. He managed to cancel them out with winners and fired an ace to secure a 4-3 lead.
In the ninth game, Alex launched a strong return, earning three break points and converting the second to take the lead. Serving at 5-4, he held his serve comfortably, clinching the set and gaining a significant boost. Djokovic struggled with his return in the second set and failed to unleash his usual power in his initial shots and groundstrokes.
Once again, Djokovic held a 40-15 lead in the seventh game, but encountered difficulties, committing a double fault and losing his serve, sealing his fate. De Minaur held his serve to love in the eighth game, solidifying his advantage and serving for victory at 5-4. Although Djokovic saved three match points and reached deuce on his return, Alex remained composed and capitalized on his fourth match point, celebrating a remarkable triumph at the beginning of the season. A few weeks later, Djokovic lost his Australian Open crown to Jannik Sinner, experiencing a semi-final defeat for the first time at Melbourne Park.
Jannik defeated Novak 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-43 in a sensational performance, never allowing his opponent a chance to break his serve and applying constant pressure.
Djokovic struggled to keep up with his rival, committing over 50 unforced errors and losing five service games out of 11 opportunities given to the young player. With two previous victories over Novak in late 2023, Jannik entered the match with great confidence, executing his shots beautifully and outplaying the ten-time champion.
The young player only dropped 27 points on his serve, preventing the veteran from earning any break points for the first time in their matches at Majors. Sinner excelled in short exchanges of up to four strokes, dominating Djokovic like only a few players have done before and emerging victorious.
Novak saved a match point in the third-set tie break, giving everything to stay in the match. However, Jannik started the fourth set with a fresh mindset and secured a crucial break to take control. Sinner dictated the pace in the first two sets, breaking Djokovic’s serve four times and building a commanding 6-1, 6-2 lead in just 73 minutes.
After a slow start to the match, Djokovic managed to survive an early scare in the third set and served well to force a tie break. At 5-6 down, Novak saved a match point and ultimately won the breaker 8-6, prolonging the battle after two and a half hours.
Nevertheless, Sinner quickly regrouped and maintained a high level of play in the fourth set, serving effectively and challenging Djokovic to match his performance. The Italian secured a crucial break in the fourth game, capitalizing on the Serb’s backhand error and taking a commanding 4-1 lead. He held his serve in the following game after two deuces, solidifying his advantage.
Jannik won the seventh game without dropping a point and served for the victory at 5-3. On a match point, Sinner hit a forehand winner down the line, celebrating a remarkable triumph and advancing to the final.
“I was more taken aback by Novak’s performance against Jannik than by the loss itself. Novak seemed unusually flat in the first two sets, which is not characteristic of him. Losing to Jannik in the semifinals is far from a catastrophe, and it’s difficult to draw any significant conclusions from Novak’s two defeats in 2024. He is still the world’s best player, winning almost everything.
However, the younger generation of players now have the confidence to challenge him in best-of-five matches, which was not the case before. Even when Novak is not at his best, his opponents struggle to take advantage of it. Now, he cannot afford to play at 50% against these young rivals and expect to come out on top.
Nevertheless, I wouldn’t be too concerned about that, considering how well Novak moves at his age. He belongs to the group of athletes who could continue playing until they are 55,” commented Laura Robson.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org