Novak Djokovic can break Monica Seles and Margaret Court's records at Australian Open, believes sports journalist
Novak Djokovic could potentially own three more records at Melbourne Park, which are currently held by Monica Seles and Margaret Court, according to journalist Matt Trollope.
Djokovic returned to Australia for the 2023 Australian Open after being infamously deported on the eve of the tournament in 2022 due to his unvaccinated status. Despite battling a hamstring injury, the 35-year-old clinched his 22nd singles Grand Slam title and 10th at Melbourne Park this year.
Djokovic also rose to World No. 1 in the process, with Carloz Alcaraz having pulled out of the tournament due to injury.
In that context, Matt Trollope recently claimed Djokovic has a realistic chance of overtaking greats like Monica Seles and Margaret Court in the all-time records at the Australian Open. Speaking on the AO Show podcast, the author of “The Kings and Queens of Rod Laver Arena” pointed out that Djokovic has already overtaken one record i.e. of the longest winning streak.
"He came into the tournament with a 21 match unbeaten run, that started in 2019, and went on to win, playing all his matches on Rod Laver Arena, which puts him at 28. He surpassed his previous run of 22 victories, then beat Andre Agassi and Martina Hingis who were second with 25, and also overtook Monica Seles' 26 to hold the record himself," Trollope said.
Trollope believes Djokovic could also go ahead and, in 2024, beat Monica Seles' Open Era tournament winning streak of 33 matches. The all-time record of 37 matches is held by Margaret Court, who went unbeaten from 1960-1968, and Trollope claimed the Serb could overtake that mark in two years’ time.
“I think in terms of what’s left to achieve (for Djokovic), a couple of things that we could look forward to next year if Djokovic comes back healthy and keen to win at Melbourne park,” he said. “This statistic doesn’t just relate to Rod Laver Arena, it would be the longest winning streak at the tournament in its history.”
“Monica Seles, I can’t remember if this is Open Era or Melbourne Park specific, but she won 33 matches in a row," he added. "Novak, currently on 28, could surpass that with a great run next year; a quarterfinal victory would see him equal that. If you go back even further, Margaret Court had a winning streak of 37 matches from 1960 to 1968. That’s pre-Open Era and pre-Melbourne Park, but that is the all-time record. That would take him two Australian Opens.”
Another record Djokovic can break is the highest win percentage on Rod Laver Arena, currently held by Monica Seles at 91.46% with a win-loss record of 34-3. The Serb stands second with 91.89% (75-7) and can better Seles’ record by reaching the semifinals in 2024 (provided he plays all matches on Rod Laver Arena).
South Australia did a magnificent job in welcoming Novak Djokovic: Craig Tiley
Novak Djokovic, returning to Australia after being infamously deported in 2022, was apprehensive about how the fans would receive him at this year's tournament. But he was welcomed with open arms, as tournament director Craig Tiley recently pointed out.
Tiley said he was proud of the Australian tennis supporters who showered the Serb with love every time he was on the court.
"You need to give credit to the Australian sporting public that enjoys the sport. We are the fairest in the world. When we are observing greatness, we respect it and cheer accordingly. That's exactly what happened and he was really welcomed back," Tiley said on the AO podcast.
"He went through a tough time last year for a number of different reasons, primarily driven by his own choice. But he came and once he got settled in Adelaide, South Australia did a magnificent job in welcoming him," he added.
Novak Djokovic’s 2022 Australian Open controversy over being unvaccinated has divided much of the tennis world. However, the Australian fans cheered him on vociferously during his historic 10th Australian Open title run.