Novak Djokovic has won 10 Australian Open trophies, making him the best-performing player at the event ever, and a former Australian tennis legend sees him adding an 11th in 2025.
A perfect scenario, a Cinderella story for Djokovic, would be him winning the Australian Open next year. Besides the event possibly marking his 25th Grand Slam title, there are historical implications as well.
The numerals lining up is quite nice for merchandise, which he certainly has ready as his clothes sponsor, Lacoste unwillingly revealed, but winning the 25th major would mean that he would be the number one player ever in terms of Grand Slam titles.
It wouldn’t be Margaret Court anymore, as the Australian holds 24. Due to her long history of controversial remarks, many tennis enthusiasts would be relieved to get her name off that list.
Beating an Australian on Australian soil by winning the Australian Open would be magical for the Serbian and his fans, given his history with the country, both positive and negative. It reads like a film, like a great sequel to the one they could make about him winning this year's Olympics.
As one of the best players to ever do it, and with a historical track record in Melbourne, Djokovic is automatically among the favorites to win the trophy. His run at the Olympics proved that he still has it in him—it’s just about delivering on the court.
By January, he should be free of any lingering emotions from Paris, which hasn’t been the case in New York recently. Australian tennis legend Paul McNamee certainly thinks that the Serbian will be the top favorite to win. Speaking to Sport Klub, McNamee named him as part of a new 'Big Three.'
"Oh, of course! There is a new Big Three – Djokovic, Sinner and Alcaraz. I would say that Novak is still the favourite in Australia to win his 11th title. I think Novak is No 1 in Melbourne."
It's not a shocking opinion due to Djokovic's track record in Australia. He's been exceptionally good, and outside of a few bad matches, the Serbian has largely dominated all of his opponents in Melbourne.
McNamee also commented on his US Open match against Alexei Popyrin, praising the Australian's efforts but concluding that the Paris Olympics run simply drained Djokovic too much.
He doesn't think Djokovic is lacking any motivation or considering retirement anytime soon, despite some thinking it's not to be ruled out.
"Here, Alexei Popyrin played brilliantly, but it is clear how much winning the gold drained Novak. Apart from Australia, I think he is also the favourite at Wimbledon. If he doesn’t win a Slam next year, that question [of retirement] will be asked."
"On the other hand, it is also a deeply personal question. Andy [Murray] probably played too long, but he wanted to play. It is a personal decision when someone retires. Personally, I think he will play the whole next year and see how it goes."
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