Novak Djokovic’s defeat in Brisbane is not worrying for the Australian Open | ATP Tour

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Djokovic’s defeat in Brisbane is not worrying for the Australian Open

ATPTour.com reviews the Serbian’s results prior to the Grand Slam

January 04, 2025

Novak Djokovic was surprised in the quarterfinals this Friday by Reilly Opelka at the Brisbane International presented by Evie, but history shows that that defeat should not be a cause for concern for the Serbian ahead of the Australian Open.

Djokovic holds the record for titles won in the first Grand Slam of the season with ten victories. However, before those memorable triumphs, the Serbian had only previously won a title three times, and one of them was in a team competition: the 2020 ATP Cup.

At 37 years old, he has gone through various situations before landing in Melbourne and that seems to have never limited him from ending up triumphing in this Grand Slam.

Djokovic’s Australian Open titles and previous results

In some cases, nine to be exact, Djokovic has not competed before the Australian Open. He won the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup on four of those occasions in 2008 and each year between 2011 and 2013.

Four years, between 2015-2017 and 2019, Djokovic played in Doha before traveling to The Antipodes. He twice won the crown in Doha, in 2016 and 2017. Although he won in the first of these years, he lost in the second round of the Australian Open.

It is the fifth season in a row that Djokovic has started in Australia before the event in Melbourne. On three occasions he played in a team competition, but this year the Serbian chose Brisbane, where he lost to the great American server Opelka.

The last time Djokovic lost in the quarterfinals of a tournament prior to a Grand Slam was at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. Your result at Roland Garros? A Musketeers Cup with only two sets given up in the fortnight.

Although Djokovic and his fans have not been able to celebrate his 100th career title in Brisbane, the numbers show that beyond his performance before a major, the 99-time ATP Tour title champion has found a way to play his best level in the following Grand Slam.

Djokovic has a record of 94-9 and a record of 10 titles at Melbourne Park, an incredible mark that he will try to expand even further at the start of the season.