The 2024 Australian Open will see a new name etched onto the men’s trophy after Novak Djokovic was surprisingly brushed aside in the semi final. The Serb is very probably the greatest player to ever play the game and after the quarter final loss of Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, the number two seed, he was fully expected to win yet again in Melbourne.
However, the young Italian Jannik Sinner, seeded fourth, was just too good for Djokovic, winning 6-1 6-2 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 on the 26th of February 2024. Sinner will play the third seed Russian Danii Medvedev in the final and will hope to inflict a third loss at that stage on the man from Moscow. The 2021 US Open champion lost in the final of the Australia in 2021 and 2022.
The first of those defeats came against Djokovic, with the Serb absent in 2022 due to Covid-related vias issues. The unvaccinated maestro was the defending champion in 2024 after he had claimed his 10th win in this tournament in 2023. His loss to the 22-year-old Sinner was, incredibly, his first defeat in the Australian Open in 34 matches! Let’s take a closer look at Novak’s unbelievable record in this event and at some of the records he holds.
How Many Times has Djokovic Won the Australian Open?
As said, in 2023, the great man won his 10th Aussie Open crown. At the time of writing, he has won a record 24 Grand Slams, meaning that almost 42% of his majors have come in Melbourne. It is not uncommon for a player to be especially dominant at one of the Grand Slams, with Rafa Nadal winning 14 of his 22 Slams at the French Open and Roger Federer, a great all-surfaces player, taking eight of his 20 at Wimbledon.
Djokovic has recently spoken about playing until he is 40 and he is obviously in great shape. He was off-colour against Sinner but it would be no surprise at all to see him win again in this tournament. He will be 37 years old at the 2025 Australian Open and (as of now) Nadal won his last major just before his 36th birthday, whilst Federer was 36, five months and seven days. In fact, if the Serbian does win next year, he will overtake Aussie ace Ken Rosewall as the oldest winner of a men’s Grand Slam.
We won’t be betting against Djok claiming title number 11 but for now, here are his wonderful 10 Australian Opens.
| Win | Year | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2008 | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 3-1 |
| 2 | 2011 | Andy Murray | 3-0 |
| 3 | 2012 | Rafa Nadal | 3-2 |
| 4 | 2013 | Andy Murray | 3-1 |
| 5 | 2015 | Andy Murray | 3-1 |
| 6 | 2016 | Andy Murray | 3-0 |
| 7 | 2019 | Rafa Nadal | 3-0 |
| 8 | 2020 | Dominic Thiem | 3-2 |
| 9 | 2021 | Danii Medvedev | 3-0 |
| 10 | 2023 | Stefano Tsitsipas | 3-0 |
Overall Record at the Australian Open
In the entire history of the sport, encompassing both the men’s and women’s games, few players have ever dominated a single tournament in the way that Djokovic has at the Australian Open. He first played this tournament in 2005 and it was an inauspicious start as the then-youngster was defeated in the first round. 12 months later and he had to suffer the same outcome.
In his third stab at things, he made it as far as the fourth round and winning three games was a major step forward. He had made the quarters at the French Open the season before but otherwise the 2007 Australian Open marked his joint-best showing at a Grand Slam. 2007 did not bring a Grand Slam trophy but it can be probably seen as the year he really broke through.
On the back of that decent run in Melbourne, he also made it to the semis in Paris and Wimbledon and then went one better by making the final at the US Open. His first Grand Slam win came at the 2008 Australian Open and between 2008 and 2016 inclusive he recorded six wins in Melbourne. In each of the three years that he didn’t go all the way, 2009, 2010 and 2014, he exited at the last-eight stage.
After his 2016 Australian Open victory he went on to claim the next Slam, the French Open. This meant he held all four Grand Slams simultaneously, an incredible feat. Whether finally landing the French Open after three defeats in four years, two to Nadal and one to Stan Wawrinka, or the achievement of holding all four majors caused the drop in form that followed we cannot be sure.
However, after winning five out of six majors – and making the final at the other – in 2015 and 2016, the second half of 2016 and through to Wimbledon 2018, saw a major decline in his performances at the four biggest events. Eight majors came and went with just one final appearance and no titles to show for it.
He then surged back, however, winning four of the next five, including the 2019 Australian Open. He defended that title in 2020 and again in 2021, before the unfortunate visa denial issue prevented him from winning four in a row. However, he won the Aussie Open yet again in 2023, his record-extending 10th win in this event.
Defeat in the semis in 2024 means that Djokovic has now played in 19 Australian Opens, winning 10. That strike rate of almost 53% is backed up by a win/loss record of 94-9, equating to a win percentage of 91%. Nadal’s at the French Open is a scarcely believable 97% but even so, those stats are scary, and Djokovic’s Australian Open record is unparalleled. He has never lost a final at Melbourne and the 2024 defeat was his first in the semis.
Djokovic Records
Ignoring the many other records that the Serbian holds, including ones which feature the Australian Open (for example his 24 overall Slam victories), the below solely relate to this tournament.
- Most Tournament Wins – 10
- Most Consecutive Tournament Wins (Open era) – 3
- Highest Win Percentage – 91%
- Most Appearances in Final – 10
- Longest Unbeaten Run – Over 6 years
- Most Games Unbeaten – 33