The Australian Open is the opening Grand Slam event of 2024, and it’s a tournament that Novak Djokovic has dominated over the last two decades. Thus far, he’s won the singles title in Melbourne on 10 occasions.
Monumentally, the Serbian’s last defeat in the Australia Open came in the fourth round in 2018 when Chung Hyeon stunned him. He lost all three sets in tiebreakers in that game to the South Korean player. Since then, he has been unstoppable.
?2??2?????? pic.twitter.com/EozfCqP66s
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 29,
2023
In 2019, Djokovic broke the record for the most titles in the Australian Open when he lifted the trophy for the seventh time.
Wins in 2020, 2021 and 2023 have helped him extend that record in the Grand Slam event to double figures.
Djokovic is Favourite to Prevail in Melbourne
The defending champion is the 6/5 favourite in the outright sports betting markets to win the 2024 Australian Open, and many will argue those are great odds offered by Bwin given his excellent record there. The world number one is 89-8 at the tournament, giving him an impressive 92% win rate heading into the latest renewal in January.
He won his first Australian Open title in 2008 when beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, and since then, he has enjoyed the pace of the courts in Melbourne. The 35-year-old works very hard on his fitness during the off-season which means he frequently arrives at the first of the four Grand Slam competitions in excellent condition.
As the current champion, Djokovic is expected to be the number one seed in the draw in 2024. He beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the January 2023 final, so undoubtedly, the Greek player will be one of the strongest challengers to the man from Belgrade once again.
Grand Slam Tally Up To 24
Djokovic brought his Grand Slam tally up to 24 when he won the US Open, the hard court event in September on the tennis calendar. That win put him two clear of rival Rafael Nadal in the all-time Grand Slam singles titles standings, and four ahead of Roger Federer, who is in third place.
This year has been an excellent season for the Serbian, as he won three of the Grand Slam events, with victory also coming in the French Open at Roland Garros. The only trophy he did not win was at Wimbledon where he finished runner-up.
He was also victorious in two other ATP Tour events, with victories coming in the Adelaide International, one of the warmup events for the Australian Open, and the Cincinnati Masters, a Masters 1000 event.
35-year-old Novak Djokovic becomes the oldest ATP Finals singles
champion in history!He’s ageing like a fine wine ? pic.twitter.com/1SHkP8SDES
— Eurosport (@eurosport) November 20,
2022
Djokovic still has the opportunity to add more silverware to his cabinet in 2023 as he goes into the ATP Tour Finals in Turin as the one to beat. He’s the number one seed in that event, which features the best eight players from the season. The six-time winner won the tournament in 2022 and success this year would ensure he breaks the record for the most titles in the end-of- year competition.
The 2024 Australian Open takes place between 14-28 January, with the men’s singles final set to be played on the final day of the tournament in Melbourne.
