6 players Novak Djokovic has won his first 10 matches against ft. Taylor Fritz, Milos Raonic
Novak Djokovic has a winning record against almost every player that he has competed against. Even though he initially trailed in the head-to-head against his greatest rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, he managed to assert his supremacy over them in the end.
Djokovic and Federer's rivalry ended 27-23 in the former's favor, and he leads Nadal 31-29 as well. While these match-ups were fiercely competitive and full of twists and turns, that's not the case with some other players.
The Serb has crushed quite a few rivals, and has never lost a match against them. In fact, he has even tallied 10 wins or more over a few players before he even lost a match against them, or in some cases, not even once. On that note, here's a look at six players against whom Djokovic has won his first 10 matches:
#6 - Taylor Fritz (0-10)
Fritz is the latest entrant to this infamous club. He slumped to a 10th consecutive defeat against the Serb in the semifinals of the ongoing Shanghai Masters, losing 6-4, 7-6 (6).
Fritz has lost eight of his 10 matches against Djokovic in straight sets. The only time he has managed to claim a set was during their matches at the Australian Open in 2021 and this year. He pushed him to four sets this year, and five sets three years ago. However, the final outcome was the same despite his best efforts.
#5 - Andreas Seppi (0-12)
Seppi and Djokovic crossed paths 12 times between 2006 and 2016, and the Italian came out on the losing side on all occasions. The closest he came to beating him was at the French Open in 2012.
Seppi led the 24-time Major champion by two sets to love in their fourth-round clash back then. However, he was relegated to the role of a spectator in his own match as his illustrious rival staged an epic comeback to win in five sets.
They met four more times after that, and he never won a set in any of those matches. Their 10th career meeting took place in Dubai in 2013, and the Serb hammered Seppi 6-0, 6-3 in their quarterfinal clash.
#4 - Milos Raonic (0-12)
Raonic has at least two wins over Nadal, Federer, and Andy Murray. However, he still hasn't found a way to unravel Djokovic's tactics, and trails their head-to-head 0-12.
Raonic showed some promise from time to time but could never get over the finish line in this rivalry. He has pushed the Serb to a deciding set on three occasions, including the Cincinnati Open final in 2020, in which he led by a set before he slumped to another loss.
Djokovic tallied his 10th win over Raonic en route to the Australian Open title in 2020. He won their most recent meeting a year later in Melbourne as well, and needed four sets to get the job done.
#3 - Jeremy Chardy (0-14)
Chardy and Djokovic's rivalry began at the Australian Open in 2009, and their final meeting also took place there in 2021. They contested 14 matches during this period, all of which the Frenchman lost in straight sets.
Chardy managed to force a tie-break only thrice, and claimed five games in one set on another two occasions. Their 10th encounter took place at the Canadian Open 2015, and it marked the first time he had made the last four at a Masters 1000 tournament.
However, all hopes of an upset win were put to an end rather quickly. Djokovic beat Chardy 6-4, 6-4 to end his dream run at the venue. He never made it past the quarterfinals of another Masters event after that.
#2 - Gael Monfils (0-19)
Monfils and Djokovic played out an engrossing five-set thriller at the US Open 2005, their very first career meeting. While the match went the Serb's way, one didn't anticipate that their rivalry would end up being so one-sided after their first encounter.
Nearly two decades later, Monfils is yet to make a dent in this match-up, and has now lost all 19 matches they've played thus far. Only seven matches have gone to a deciding set, including their 10th meeting, which took place at the Canadian Open a decade ago.
#1 - Marin Cilic (2-19)
Cilic and Djokovic's rivalry dates back to 2008, when they first crossed paths in Dubai. The latter went down to the former in straight sets. They met quite frequently over the years, and the Serb emerged victorious time after time.
Their 10th meeting was an engaging battle that played out over five sets at Wimbledon 2014, in which the Serb got the upper hand in the end. Cilic received a beatdown in their next two matches, and won a total of five games across those two losses.
Cilic lost their next two matches in straight sets as well, including at the US Open in 2015, which brought an end to his title defense there. He finally secured his first win in this match-up at the Paris Masters a year later, and then beat him for the second time in the Queen's Club final in 2018.
The winning streak didn't last for too long, and he has since lost his next five matches against Djokovic. However, unlike other players on this list, he can at least boast about having a win.