Sinner has reigned supreme at the Australian Open for the past two years, and when Djokovic secured his place in the semi-final against the Italian a few weeks ago thanks to an early withdrawal from injury to Lorenzo Mussetti, no one gave Nole a chance. He was considered a 5/1 underdog before the match with some outlets, but the wayward Serb can never be written off. The iconic veteran then clawed his way back from 1-0 down and then 2-1 down reigns in a five-set epicand reminds everyone why he is the greatest of all time.
However, the final would prove to be a step too far. Despite dominating the first set in Melbourne’s showpiece against young prodigy Carlos Alcaraz, the Spaniard roared back to life to reel off three straight sets and claim the title, his first in Australia. The 23-year-old had previously defeated Djokovic in the Slam final, but who else has achieved such a feat in Nole’s epic two-decade career? Let’s see.
Carlos Alcaraz
Three Grand Slam finals against Novak Djokovic. Three wins. No one else in the current game owns that kind of psychological real estate in the GOAT’s mind. Wimbledon 2023 was the announcement: a 20-year-old who refused to be impressed by the aura of Center Court or Djokovic, winning a five-set war 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 after being mauled in the opener. He came back a year later and did it again on the same grass, making it look almost routine as he romped to a straight-set victory, proving he was only getting better as Nole started to slow down.
Then Melbourne happened. Djokovic had every reason to believe this was his; the Australian Open has forever been his personal kingdom. But Alcaraz’s game is the perfect antidote to Djokovic: explosive court coverage that matches Novak’s defense, aggressive basic strength that won’t let him settle, and zero fear in the biggest moments. Federer, Nadal and Murray combined to go 7-13 against Djokovic in the Slam final. Alcaraz is 3-0 before he’s old enough to rent a car.
At the upcoming French Open, Djokovic could take another shot at Alcaraz, and whether he does or not, there will be a burgeoning new outlet that will cover both stars’ efforts every step of the way. That socket will be launched soon Ozoon sports betting site, which is making final preparations for its unbeatable sports offering before it is rolled out to the public. Fans will be brought closer to the court than ever before, with Ozoon providing 24-hour coverage of tennis’ biggest tournaments. But whether they can beat one last hurray from Nole on the clay courts of Paris remains to be seen.
Daniil Medvedev
In the 2021 US Open final, Djokovic was hours away from tennis immortality: the Calendar Grand Slam, the 21st major to break the Big Three, a history that no one had achieved in 52 years. Than, Daniil Medvedev dismantled the undisputed number one in the world in straight sets. 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. The Russian’s flat, metronomic basic game and his serve-and-one patterns turned Djokovic’s usually impenetrable defense into something ordinary. But tactics only tell half the story.
Djokovic cried during the substitution before the match had even ended, overwhelmed by the pressure and weight of what he couldn’t complete. Medvedev became the only man to beat Djokovic when a Calendar Slam was on the line – a spoiler role that no one else can claim. The irony? Djokovic got his revenge in the 2023 US Open final, winning No. 24 and securing his redemption against Medvedev. But if given the chance, would he swap titles with the Russian? With the amount of history he would have created that night in September 2021 in the Big Apple, you bet he would too.
Rafael Nadal
Five Grand Slam final victories over Djokovic. No one else has more than three. Granted, he still had to lose five finals to Djokovic to win four himself, but that doesn’t detract from the achievement.
Three came to Roland-Garros: Nadal’s kingdom, where Djokovic entered as world number one and left defeated every time. The 2020 final was a bloodbath: October’s pandemic-delayed French Open, played under a closed roof, where Nadal opened with a 6-0 bagel – the first time he had ever knocked out Djokovic in a Slam set – and went on to score 6-2, 7-5. That was Nadal’s thirteenth Roland-Garros title, equaling Federer’s then record of twenty Slams, and Djokovic was helpless.
The Paris finals of 2012 and 2014? Same story: Nadal’s supremacy on clay makes Djokovic’s brilliance irrelevant. Then there are the victories on the hard court: US Open 2010 and 2013, where Nadal’s physicality overwhelmed the Serb’s consistency. The latter of those two finals came during Nadal’s comeback season, proving he could still dominate the biggest stages.
But while Nadal may have won his battles, Djokovic won the war. He’s still competing at the highest level while his nemesis is enjoying his second year of retirement. And if that wasn’t enough, Nole himself eventually retires with at least two more Slams to his name.
Stan Wawrinka
Carlos Alcaraz is a man who has a perfect record against Djokovic in the Slam final. The other? Stan Wawrinka.
The Swiss star has reached just four Grand Slam showpieces and has faced Nole twice. And both times he shockingly emerged victorious, despite Djokovic leading their head-to-head 20-6. How does a man who is routinely dismantled suddenly become unbeatable when trophies are on the line?
Paris 2015 answers that question: Wawrinka hit 60 winners, his one-handed backhand tearing through Djokovic’s defense like it didn’t exist and depriving the Serb of his first French Open title on his third trip to the final and first not against Nadal. Then, at the 2016 US Open, Djokovic’s body and mind betrayed him after finally completing his career Slam earlier that year. Wawrinka took advantage in four sets, proving that the Roland Garro victory the year before was no fluke.
Andy Murray
No one has lost more Grand Slam finals to Djokovic than Andy Murray. The two have faced each other in seven Slam finals, of which the GOAT won five. Still, the Briton enjoyed his moments in the sun.
The 2012 US Open was Murray’s breakthrough: his first Slam title after four failed finals, a five-set war that ended Britain’s 76-year wait for a male Grand Slam champion. Then came Wimbledon 2013, the one that mattered most. Seventy-seven years since Fred Perry. The pressure from Center Court would have crushed anyone else. Murray defeated Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 and a nation gasped.
The tragedy? Murray’s catastrophic hip injury, which denied him the chance to improve on that miserable 5-2 record in Slam showpieces. How many more finals could he have won if the proud Scot’s body had cooperated? We’ll never know.
Roger Federer
For many, Roger Federer is the greatest player of all time, not Djokovic. One look at their performances against each other in the finals should tell you that those people are wrong. The two legendary rivals have met in five Slam finals, four of which Djokovic won. The Swiss ace’s only victory came way back at the 2007 US Open, when Nole was just 20 years old and heading to his first Slam final.
Federer would get the job done and win against his relative rookie of an opponent with a minimum of fuss. He would never beat Djokovic under the bright lights again.
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