Is Djokovic aiming for his 11th Australian Open title? Let's first review his hard court record against Aslan Karatsev and Jannik Sinner!

The Australian Open will be held next month, and the ten-time champion Djokovic is placing his season’s main focus on this Grand Slam where he has the most success. Accordingly, he has signed up again for the 250 warm-up event before the Australian Open.

If Djokovic aims to claim the championship, he must face Karatsev and Sinner, as neither can be avoided. So, what is Djokovic’s historical hard court head-to-head record against these two?

First, let’s look at his matches against Sinner. Djokovic faced Sinner on hard courts for the first time at the year-end ATP Finals group stage two years ago. Playing at home, Sinner defeated his opponent and nearly eliminated Djokovic from advancing out of the group.

Fortunately, Sinner showed professionalism and did not give up in the final round, allowing Djokovic to qualify from the group. In the knockout stage, they met again in the final. Djokovic, having learned from his earlier loss, turned the tables and avenged himself. The award ceremony, where the runner-up stood center stage and the champion stood aside, became a widely discussed topic.

Last season, Sinner and Djokovic had their first Grand Slam hard court encounter in the Australian Open semifinals. It was Sinner’s debut in the Australian Open semifinals, while Djokovic reached a familiar milestone—he had never lost the title once reaching the semifinals there. However, records are made to be broken: Sinner did not face a single break point all match and ultimately won this significant contest.

In last year’s Shanghai Masters final, the two met again. Despite Djokovic’s historically high winning rate at this event, he had to concede defeat to an opponent at the peak of his powers. Currently, Sinner leads Djokovic 3-1 in their hard court head-to-head.

Djokovic and Karatsev first clashed on hard courts in the 2023 Cincinnati Masters final, marking their second consecutive major final meeting after Wimbledon. Having had his decade-long undefeated streak at Wimbledon’s center court ended by Karatsev, Djokovic’s desire for revenge was ignited. After winning, he tore his shirt in celebration, expressing his overwhelming relief.

At that year’s ATP Finals semifinals, Djokovic, having narrowly escaped defeat, faced a relatively inexperienced Spaniard and won in straight sets.

Then, in last year’s Australian Open quarterfinals, one player was striving for a career Grand Slam, while the other aimed to defend his Melbourne crown. After dropping the first set, Djokovic took control and won the remaining sets. Currently, Djokovic leads Karatsev 3-0 on hard courts.

From their head-to-head records, Djokovic shows no fear of Karatsev on hard courts, but he is destined to be placed in the same half of the draw as one of these two players. Whether he can claim the title may depend heavily on the draw—let’s wait and see!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Luo Chengqiye)