Where does Novak Djokovic's start to the 2023 season stack up against his best season-opening runs following SF exit in Dubai Tennis Championships
Novak Djokovic's start to the 2023 season, as good as it has been, only ranks fourth among his previous best season-opening win streaks on the ATP Tour.
Novak Djokovic had a phenomenal start to the year with a win at the Adelaide International 1, registering victories over Denis Shapovalov, Daniil Medvedev and Sebastian Korda en route to the title. The Serb backed up his performance with a record 10th championship at the 2023 Australian Open.
The World No. 1 headed into the Dubai Tennis Championships semifinals with a 15-0 win streak for the season. He faced off against Daniil Medvedev, who is enjoying an exceptional run of form himself with back-to-back titles in Rotterdam and Doha. The Russian came out on top in the encounter on Friday and ended Djokovic's winning run to start the 2023 season.
With two titles and a 15-match win streak, Novak Djokovic's start to the season ranks fourth among his best season openers. In third place is the Serb's 17-0 record in 2013 with two titles -- the Australian Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships. The 22-time Grand Slam champion did not face a loss until the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters, where he fell to Juan Martin del Potro.
In second place comes his start to the season in 2020 with a 26-0 win streak and three titles won. After leading Serbia to the ATP Cup title, Djokovic won the Australian Open and the Dubai Open before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the suspension of the tour. He came back strong when action resumed, winning the Cincinnati Masters and the Italian Open before falling to Rafael Nadal in the final of the French Open.
Leading the pack, however, is the World No. 1's exceptional start to the 2011 season with a 41-0 record and seven title wins. Beginning at the Australian Open, the Serb did not lose a single match until he met Roger Federer in the semifinals of the French Open -- a four-set loss that finally stopped his winning start.
Medvedev beats Djoković in straight sets to set up a clash with Rublev in the Dubai final.
Statistically, this is only Novak’s 4th-best run to start a season. However, despite today’s loss, I think it’s been a more significant beginning of the year than numbers can reflect. https://t.co/uWxmE53UTC
Remebering Novak Djokovic's 2011 season
Novak Djokovic had an extraordinary run to start his season in 2011. He defeated Andy Murray in the Australian Open final to win his second title at the Grand Slam. He followed his victory with title wins at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Indian Wells Masters, Miami Masters, Serbian Open, Madrid Masters and Rome Masters.
His 41-0 win streak ended at the hands of Roger Federer in the French Open semifinals. Speaking about his exceptional record to begin the season, the 22-time Grand Slam champion commented that it had been the best five months of his professional career.
"It was best five months of my life, my tennis career. I cannot complain. It was definitely an incredible period," he said at the time.
Despite his loss at the Roland Garros championships, the Serb made a strong return to the tour as he defeated Rafael Nadal to lift his first Wimbledon title. The World No. 1 then went on to win the Canada Masters for his fifth Masters 1000 title of the year, a record-breaking achievement at the time. The Belgrade native ended his year with a victory over Rafael Nadal in the US Open final for his third Grand Slam title of the year.
Widely regarded as one of the best tennis seasons in the history of the sport, Novak Djokovic ended his year with a 70-6 record and became the year-end World No. 1 for the first time in his career. He also enjoyed a 10-1 record over both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in 2011.