SUMMARY
- Novak Djokovic has yet to be at his form while preparing for the 2024 Australian Open.
- Novak Djokovic opened up on the biggets threat he will face at the Australian Open.
The first-round matches of the 2024 Australian Open have officially begun. The matches will go on for three days until the start of the second round. The top seeds are ready to close in on their chances to take the season’s opening grand slam. A player who has been able to do that in previous seasons has been Novak Djokovic. He has been the most successful player at the Australian Open.
Djokovic has not been at his best since the start of the 2024 season. He revealed that the most significant threat at the Australian Open for him will be himself and the rest of the players in the main draw. The Serbian has played three singles matches this year. He lost the third match to Alex de Minaur in straight sets at the United Cup. Djokovic will be hopeful of regaining his top form in Melbourne.
When asked who he considered to be his biggest threat at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic replied that it was himself.
“The worst enemy you can meet will always be yourself.” pic.twitter.com/PVFe8b6gzy
— Darth Caul (@DarthCaul) January 13, 2024
The last time Djokovic had lost a match in straight sets was in April last season to Dusan Lojovic at Banja Luka. He has had a challenging start to the season, but the world’s No. 1 always finds his form during the Australian Open. Djokovic will play his opening match against Grand Slam debutant Dino Prizmic. The Croatian teenager will have a challenging but insightful debut in the majors.
Novak Djokovic is hoping to get through a fierce test at Melbourne
Djokovic will be playing in his 19th Australian Open this year. Given his current form in the past three matches, he will be facing a tough test in Melbourne. In the 128-player main draw this year, only one player has defeated the 36-year-old at the Australian Open. Stan Wawrinka had beaten Djokovic in the quarterfinals a decade ago.
There will be stiff competition from Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, who beat Djokovic in the previous season. Alcaraz and Medvedev have been the only players who have beaten Djokovic in a Grand Slam final in the past seven years. The 24-time grand slam champion can follow a similar pattern of serve and volley, which he did while winning the 2022 US Open.
Open de Australia 🎾🇦🇺
14 – 28 de enero 🗓️
🇷🇸 Novak Djokovic
🇪🇸 Carlos Alcaraz
🇷🇺 Daniil Medvedev
🇮🇹 Jannik Sinner
🇷🇺 Andrey Rublev
🇬🇷 Stefanos Tsitsipas
🇩🇰 Holger Rune¿Quién se llevará el primer Grand Slam del año? pic.twitter.com/LFc1Wkn5yV
— DAZNBet España (@DAZNBetES) January 13, 2024
Alcaraz and Medvedev have been the players who can defend Djokovic’s groundstrokes. While Jannik Sinner has powerful groundstrokes, he has struggled to show his true colors at the grand slams. The courts in Melbourne have been favorable to Djokovic. Alcaraz can use his drop shots, while Medvedev can try turning his defense to offense against Djokovic.