“Novak is the guy to beat,” Swedish ATP legend delves deep into Novak Djokovic’s opponents ahead of the Australian Open quarterfinals

Novak Djokovic is cruising towards his 11th Australian Open title.

“Novak is the guy to beat,” Swedish ATP legend delves deep into Novak Djokovic’s opponents ahead of the Australian Open quarterfinals

Thomas Johansson, Novak Djokovic (Images via Imago)

Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic is cruising towards another Australian Open title as the ten-time champion advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open.

The 36-year-old has not looked in his best element, but he is still managing to beat his opponents, and this is the reason Swedish tennis legend Thomas Johansson believes he is the guy to beat. 

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The Swedish ace said that the 24-time Grand Slam winner looks set to lift his 11th title in Melbourne. However, Djokovic has potential threats from a few rising stars on the tour.

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I think it's going to be difficult, because I think Novak is the guy to beat. I am very impressed with the way Alcaraz is playing at the moment. I think they can also have a battle here. Sinner also looks good, but Novak is the guy to beat.
Thomas Johansson said.

Johansson believes Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the two players who can challenge Djokovic in the latter stages of the tournament. 

You know, the interesting thing with Novak is that even if he's not playing well, he's winning matches. This is his biggest strength for me. Yeah, I would be surprised if Novak would not win another time here.
Continuing further, he added

Who can stop Novak Djokovic from lifting his 11th Australian Open title?

As already mentioned by Thomas Johansson, Novak Djokovic faces threats from the top players on the tour.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz (Image via: Open source)

While Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner remain the biggest threats for the Serb, Daniil Medvedev too can challenge Djokovic in his quest to win the 11th Australian Open title.

The Russian ace has defeated Djokovic in a Grand Slam final before. Medvedev denied Djokovic a chance to lay hands on the 2021 US Open title as he defeated the Serb in three sets of 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Although Djokovic avenged that defeat in the 2023 US Open final, Medvedev will still be a threat to the 24-time Grand Slam champion. 

Among the three, Djokovic’s head-to-head record is almost similar against Medvedev and Sinner (in terms of percentage of matches won i.e. 66.67).

Against Alcaraz, Djokovic’s win percentage stands at 60%. So, quite clearly, the Serb leads all three of his opponents. However, only these three names stand a chance against the 36-year-old.

Carlos Alcaraz emerged triumphant against Djokovic in one of the best Wimbledon finals played last year. Meanwhile, Sinner beat Djokovic in the Davis Cup Finals. Now, it is to be seen who among these three stands tall when they meet the ten-time champion in the final or semifinal at the 2024 Australian Open.

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