Djokovic and Andre Agassi won their sixth Miami Open title in 2016 and 2003, respectively.
Djokovic will return at the Miami Open this week. The 37-year-old Djokovic has not played in the hard-court ATP Masters event since 2019. If he can lift his seventh title in Miami, he will surpass Agassi. Of course, he will also reach the milestone of 100 career tour titles.
Alas! I have to say that Djokovic's 100th crown has been awaited for too long!
Agassi sets the tone for Miami
Agassi and Novak Djokovic, two former world No.1s, have not faced each other in Miami.Agassi made his last appearance in Miami in 2005, while in 2006 the 18-year-old Djokovic made his debut in the event.At the time, Agassi's legacy in Florida was almost unsurpassed.
After lifting the trophy at the 1990 Miami Open, Agassi reached three consecutive finals from 1994 to 1996 after a difficult few years in Florida. The first time he lost to his arch-rival Pete Sampras, but he avenged his revenge in the 1995 championship and then won again in 1996 at Crandon Park, the venue at the time.
Agassi reached another final in 1998, losing to Ríos. Agassi then made a comeback in Miami in the new millennium, becoming the first male to win three consecutive titles in the event between 2001 and 2003. He and Novak Djokovic remain the only players on the ATP Tour to achieve this feat.
In 2006, Agassi failed to make his last appearance in Miami due to injury. It was in the same year that first-time junior Djokovic defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu in the first round before losing to Guillermo Coria. However, Agassi's love for the tournament has not diminished in the slightest, with six of his 17 Masters titles coming in the tournament and a record 61 victories in the main draw.
"I've always loved playing here," Agassi, then 34, said at a press conference announcing his retirement, retiring at the US Open later that year. "It's a great place. There are a lot of memories, a lot of good games, and it's definitely one of the best venues for me to play my best. ”
Junior Novak's Masters moments
After losing to Coria in the second round in 2006, it didn't take long for Djokovic to adjust to the hot and humid conditions of Miami. He returned a year later and quickly lifted his first ATP1000 Masters trophy, the only Masters 1000 title he won as a teenager, without dropping a set in his win. His standout performances in 2007 included defeating Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals, Andy Murray 6-1, 6-0 in the semi-finals, and Guillermo Canas in the final.
"Of course it feels great," Djokovic said when asked about becoming the youngest winner in the history of the tournament at the time, a record that was broken by Carlos Alcaraz in 2022. "It means that your name goes down in the history of the sport. I'm very proud of that. I know I've worked really hard throughout my career to get to this point, and I hope this is just the beginning of a long career. ”
In Miami in 2007, Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning his first ATP1000 Masters title
Djokovic's Florida dynasty
Although Djokovic quickly established himself as one of the world's top contenders, he was a surprise first-round exit at Crandon Park in 2008 and 2010, and in between, he lost to Murray in the championship in 2009. However, after those ups and downs, Djokovic ushered in a five-year reign in Miami.
In the six years from 2011 to 2016, Djokovic won five of his six appearances, with only a fourth-round defeat to Tommy Haas in 2013 ruining his Miami record during that period. He won the title in 2011 and 2014 against Nadal, Andy Murray in 2012 and 2015, and in 2016 he won the title after beating four of the world's top 20 players, including Dominic Thiem and finalist Kei Nishikori.
In his most recent triumph, he finished with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Kei Nishikori. Djokovic not only equalled Agassi's record for the number of men's singles titles in Miami, but also won a record fourth "Sunshine Double" (i.e. Indian Wells and Miami in the same year, achieved in 2011 and 2014 to 2016 respectively).
Roger Federer (2005-2006, 2017) is another player to achieve this feat multiple times, while Andre Agassi (2001) is one of five other players to achieve it once.
After winning the title in 2016, Djokovic recalled:
"Every year I come back to Miami, I think back to those memories of 2007. That was the first Masters title I won and it opened a lot of doors for me and gave me a lot of confidence. I started to realize that I had what it took to win major tournaments and that I could beat the best in the world. So, of course, it's a special moment for me to come back here and I've won here six times now. ”
It was his 28th Masters title, which also allowed him to surpass Nadal in the number of Masters 1000 titles.
In 2016, Djokovic completed the "Sunshine Double" for a record fourth time in Indian Wells and Miami (pictured)
Will there be a new record in 2025?
Djokovic has since boosted his Masters tally to 40, but when he arrived in Miami this year, there was a lot to consider before pursuing a 41st Masters title. Like Agassi, Djokovic's six Miami titles were won at the event's former venue, Crandon Park in Key West. The only time he played before at the Hard Rock Stadium, where the tournament is currently being held, the Serbian lost to Roberto Butista Agut in the fourth round of 2019.
After the Indian Wells Masters, Djokovic returned to fifth in the world in the ATP rankings and will play at the Miami Masters as the No. 4 seed. Former rival Murray will be by his side as his coach, and it's a different kind of scenery.
At the moment, the draw for the main draw of the Miami Masters has not yet been released. But regardless of the draw, the 37-year-old Djokovic faces a huge challenge. Among the post-95 players are Zverev, Medvedev and other opponents. Among the post-00 rookies are Alcaraz, Draper, Rune and other challenges. Of course, there is also the possibility of encountering the challenge of younger post-05 players, such as Fonseca and other junior players.
Looking forward to Djokovic's dream of a 100th ATP Tour title in Miami!
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