Novak Djokovic won his tenth Australian Open last Sunday, respecting the predictions of the eve and reiterating that he is still the strongest around. His triumph at Melbourne Park earned him a 22nd Grand Slam and a tie with Rafael Nadal at the all-time leaderboard.
The two will battle it out again at Roland Garros, scheduled on clay in Paris at the end of May. Nole returned to the top of the ATP rankings by ousting Carlos Alcaraz from the throne after 20 weeks, a fully deserved recognition if one analyzes the performance of the Serbian over the past six months.
The 35-year-old from Belgrade hadn’t convinced in the first week of the Happy Slam due to a left hamstring injury, but his level rose exponentially from the round of 16 onwards. In fact, the ‘Djoker’ did not leave a chance for de Minaur, Rublev, Tommy Paul and Tsitsipas, who failed to snatch even a set from him.
There are many who think that Novak can achieve the ‘Calendar Grand Slam’ this year (a feat already close in 2021).
New details on Djokovic’s schedule
The physical problem in the hamstring muscle of the left leg will not make Novak Djokovic choose to be conservative and give up the ATP 500 Dubai 2023 dispute.
This was revealed in words collected by The Age, where the Serb confirmed his intention to play the event Emirati once he undergoes some medical tests to better understand how his problem has evolved. The event starts on February 27 and may be almost the only chance to see the Serb in action before the tour on clay, as it already happened last year, due to the restrictions imposed by the United States on unvaccinated people, which would prevent them from competing in Indian Wells and Miami.
“If I really wanted to win the trophy I had to stay strong and not let any outside factors or disturbances distract me on my way to the title,” he said outside Government House on Monday. “After last year’s events, coming back to Australia, I was curious and a bit more nervous than normal …
[with] how people will receive me, what kind of reception I’ll get on the court, off the court. I’m going to do some medical check-ups in the next few days, then I’ll be able to talk about it a bit more and understand the situation,” Djokovic said.
“As it stands today, I am still signed in for the [ATP 500] Dubai tournament, which is in a month’s time [from February 27], and I hope I’ll be able to come back to the courts in several weeks’ time”.
