From winning streaks to perfect finals records to the biggest jump to No. 1 ever, Nole just keeps piling on the numbers.

Novak Djokovic made another flawless start to a season in Australia this year, not just winning the lead-up event in Adelaide, but going on to win his 10th Australian Open title—and 22nd Grand Slam title—with a 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

Here are 22 things Djokovic achieved Down Under this year:

He tied the all-time men’s record for most Grand Slam titles. Rafael Nadal also has 22.

He extended his all-time men’s record for most Australian Open titles. Roy Emerson and Roger Federer are tied for the next-most with six each.

He’s now one of only three players in tennis history to have won a single Grand Slam event 10 times or more. Margaret Court won 11 Australian Opens and Nadal has 14 French Opens.

He’s now 10-0 in his career in Australian Open finals. He’s actually 10-0 in his career in Australian Open semifinals, too—so he’s a terrifying 20-0 at the event once he gets past the quarterfinals.

He’s one of only two players in tennis history with a 10-0 record or better in finals at a specific major. Nadal is 14-0 in French Open finals. Court lost her eighth Australian Open final (she finished 11-1).

He broke the record for longest men’s winning streak at the Australian Open in the Open Era. He’s now won 28 matches in a row at the event, surpassing Andre Agassi’s 26 in a row from 2000 to 2004.

He’s won 10 of his last 12 Grand Slam finals, and 14 of his last 17. Midway through the 2015 season, he was 8-8 in his career in Grand Slam finals—since then he’s a scary 14-3.

He passed Nadal for fourth-most tour-level titles for a man in the Open Era. The top five is now Jimmy Connors (109), Federer (103), Ivan Lendl (94), Djokovic (93) and Nadal (92).

He’s now won 47 of his last 50 tour-level matches. In a stretch that began with his run to the title in Rome last May, his only three losses have come to Nadal (quarterfinals of Roland Garros), Felix Auger-Aliassime (Laver Cup, which is officially counted as tour-level) and Holger Rune (final of Paris).

He’s now won six of the last seven tournaments he’s played. Starting with his run to the title at Wimbledon, the only tournament he’s played but hasn’t won was the Masters 1000 event in Paris, where he fell to Rune in the final, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5—and he was up 3-1 in the third set of that one.

He’s not only won his last 17 matches in a row, but the only three sets he’s lost in that run have been close tie-breaks. They came in his 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2) win over Medvedev in the round robin of the ATP Finals, his 6-7 (8), 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Korda in the Adelaide final and his 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-0 win over Enzo Couacaud in the second round of the Australian Open.

He’s now won at least two tour-level titles every year since 2006. That’s 18 years in a row now.

He tied Serena Williams’ all-time men’s and women’s record for most career Grand Slam titles on hard courts. They both have 13—Serena won seven Australian Opens and six US Opens, while Djokovic has won 10 Australian Opens and three US Opens.

And finally, he also tied Serena’s Open Era record for most Grand Slam titles won after turning 30. He already had the men’s record with nine, but with his 10th now, he ties the men’s and women’s Open Era record.

Novak Djokovic has hit back at critics accusing him of “faking” his hamstring injury, saying: “Only my injuries are questioned. When some other players are injured, then they are the victims, but when it is me, I am faking it. I don’t feel that I need to prove anything to anyone”

Novak Djokovic has hit back at critics accusing him of “faking” his hamstring injury by saying it adds to his motivation to win a record-extending 10th Australian Open title.

The condition of the Serbian’s left leg has been a major talking point at Melbourne Park after he arrived at the tournament nursing the injury and then took medical timeouts in his second and third-round matches.

But he still won both and then dispatched Alex De Minaur with a ruthless display in the fourth round on Monday, losing only five games.

https://www.instagram.com/australianopen/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=6e22f1cc-0316-4edc-bf30-1b0d179faad8
Speaking to Serbian media in quotes reported by tennismajors.com, Djokovic hit back at those questioning whether he is really injured, saying: “I leave the doubting to those people – let them doubt.

“Only my injuries are questioned. When some other players are injured, then they are the victims, but when it is me, I am faking it. It is very interesting. I don’t feel that I need to prove anything to anyone.

“I have got the MRI, ultrasound and everything else, both from two years ago and now. Whether I will publish that in my documentary or on social media depends on how I feel. Maybe I will do I it, maybe I won’t.

“I am not really interested at this point what people are thinking and saying. It is fun, it is interesting to see how the narrative surrounding me continues, (a) narrative that is different compared to other players that have been going through similar situations.

“But I am used to it and it just gives me extra strength and motivation. So I thank them for that.”

Two years ago Djokovic suffered an abdominal muscle injury during his third-round match against Taylor Fritz before going on to win the title. And there have been other matches, notably the 2015 final here against Andy Murray, where he appeared to be struggling badly only to recover and win.

But he has not always managed to play through injuries. He retired during the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2017 because of an elbow problem, while at the US Open in 2019 a shoulder issue led to him pulling the plug in the fourth round.

His last defeat in Australia, in the fourth round against Chung Hyeon in 2018, meanwhile, prompted him to undergo elbow surgery.

The reaction could be contrasted to that given to Rafael Nadal, who ended the French Open last year on crutches because of a chronic foot problem and was widely praised for his efforts in winning another title.

Asked about Djokovic’s injury, his opponent De Minaur said: “I think everyone’s kind of seeing what’s been happening over the couple weeks. It’s the only thing everyone’s been talking about.

“I was out there on court against him. Either I’m not a good enough tennis player to expose that, or it looked good to me.”

The 23-year-old took to social media on Tuesday to express frustration with the reporting of his comments.

“I hate how media will always create controversy and takes things out of context to make a headline,” he wrote. “Got outplayed and outclassed yesterday. How about we focus on the tennis for once. I will get back to work and improve you can count on that. Thank you Australia.”

Novak Djokovic is safely through into his 13th Australian Open quarter-final. Novak did not play at his best in the opening three rounds, dealing with a hamstring injury and taking medical timeouts. Still, there were no signs of discomfort against Alex de Minaur at Rod Laver Arena on Monday, as Djokovic scored a 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 triumph in two hours and six minutes.

The Serb played his best match in 2023, staying focused from start to finish to leave the rival behind and remain on the title course. Andy Roddick was delighted with what he saw from Novak, praising the Serb’s game and stating there is no place for the opponent to attack him when he plays like this.

Novak Djokovic grabbed half of the return points and kept de Minaur at under ten winners. Novak delivered six breaks from 12 opportunities and never experienced issues behind his initial shot. The Serb hit 26 winners and 27 unforced errors and controlled the pace in the shortest and more advanced rallies to drop only five games and keep his title hopes.

Novak made a strong start, feeling good on the court and losing five points in his games in the opener. Alex stayed in touch in the opening four games before fading from the court for good. The Serb broke at love in game six to open a 4-2 advantage and grabbed another return game at 5-2 after the rival’s mistake to wrap up the opener in 35 minutes.

With everything working his way, Novak lost six points in his games in the second set and left the opponent far behind. Djokovic broke de Minaur in games two and four to build a 6-2, 5-0 advantage in no time and rattle off nine straight games!

Alex avoided a bagel with a hold in game six before Novak fired a backhand crosscourt winner in the next one for 6-2, 6-1 in swift 75 minutes! Eager to seal the deal as soon as possible, the Serb raced into a 4-0 lead in the third set against the powerless opponent.

Alex avoided a bagel with a hold after deuce in game five and wished for at least some chances on the return. Instead, Djokovic produced another comfortable hold to open a 5-1 gap and force the rival to serve to stay in the match.

Novak created a match point in game seven with a volley winner, and Alex saved it with a powerful serve. The Aussie fired another to bring the game home and reduce the deficit. Djokovic served for the victory at 5-2 and held in game eight to sail into the last eight.

Novak will face Andrey Rublev in a battle for the semi-final. “Clinical for Novak. There is just no place to attack him. It will take a Herculean performance from someone to take him out. I do not see it happening,” Andy Roddick said.

Following Casper Ruud’s loss at the Australian Open on Thursday, the battle for world No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings comes down to three men: Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and reigning world No. 1 Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz.

With his loss to Jenson Brooksby, Ruud won’t be able to climb past No. 2. The scenarios for the rest of the tournament are simple. If Djokovic or Tsitsipas win the title, they will leave Melbourne as World No.1 in the world. If neither lifts the trophy, Alcaraz, who is not competing in Australia due to injury, will retain the top spot on January 30.

Djokovic has a lot of experience succeeding Down Under. The Serbian is a nine-time Australian Open champion and owns an 83-8 record in the tournament. The 35-year-old has not lost in the first major of the season since the 2018 fourth round against South Korea’s Hyeon Chung.

Djokovic has held world No. 1 for a record 373 weeks, with an unbeatable seven year-end finishes at No. 1. He most recently held the top spot last June. The fourth seed will play his second round match inside Rod Laver Arena on Thursday night.

His rival of him? French qualifier Enzo Couacaud. Possible opponents for him in the third round are 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria and Laslo Djere of Serbia. Tsitsipas has enjoyed his own success at Melbourne Park.

The Greek has advanced to the semifinals in each of the past two editions of the event. However, the 24-year-old would have to break new ground to claim world No. 1.

Djokovic defeated Enzo Couacaud
Novak Djokovic finished his match against Enzo Couacaud well past midnight.

“I don’t know how we can change that (smiling). The schedule is affected by the weather obviously. Last few days we know we had heat rule, we had rain. It pushed back some of the matches that went deep into night yesterday, obviously again today,” the Serb said.

“That’s obviously something that you just have to accept and deal with. I mean, it’s best-of-five for us guys. Yeah, it’s not perfect that when you finish a match or now it’s 12:30, as you mentioned, and then you have to do recovery, so forth, and you go to sleep, 3, 4, 5 a.m., it affects recovery and the next day. The good thing is you have a day between the matches, on a positive note,” he added.

Novak Djokovic had to run off court for a speedy bathroom break after just five games of his opening match at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic was forced to take a speedy bathroom break at the Australian Open when he told the umpire he needed the toilet five games into his first-round match against Roberto Carballes Baena. The fourth seed was seen asking the official but sprinted off the court and past security before getting a response, as commentators suggested he left without permission.

Djokovic took arguably one of the fastest toilet breaks seen in tennis, in what appeared to be a miscommunication as he asked to use the bathroom before running off court just 25 minutes into his opening match at the Australian Open.

“Hello? Hello? Hello? I need to go to the toilet,” the Serb told chair official Aurelie Tourte before he ran off court without waiting for an answer, likely too desperate to wait. A security guard at the entrance of Rod Laver Arena also tries to stop him from running off, but Djokovic quickly returns just seconds after the umpire calls time at the end of the changeover.

Commentators on Australia’s host broadcaster Nine were quick to question whether the world No 5 had defied security by running off to the toilet. “He needs to go to the toilet? After five games? Well I think he’s actually pulled rank there as well. I think that official was trying to pull him back,” Mark Woodforde remarked.

They continued to discuss the incident among themselves, appearing confused at Djokovic’s decision to take a quick toilet break in the allotted changeover time. “Okay, so I think he’s gone off without permission it seems,” another added.

“It seemed very strange he wasn’t allowed to go off, it seemed. And it seems like he did pull rank, Because the linesman said ‘no no, you can’t go off at this stage. After the first set, yes’.”

The umpire’s walkie-talkie could then be heard on the broadcast, as Tourte was alerted by security when Djokovic left the court. But he reappeared just moments later, as she called time at the end of the changeover.

Djokovic had been forced to come from 0-40 down in his previous service game before taking his quick toilet break, and was able to break Carballes Baena’s serve for the first time in the match when he returned before going on to take the opening set 6-3 in 43 minutes.

Novak Djokovic is still struggling with injury ahead of the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic has made a concerning admission over a hamstring injury he has been suffering from of late. The Serbian says he is struggling ahead of the Australian Open starting on Monday.

Novak Djokovic got through an exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios on Friday. He appeared to dispel doubts over his fitness after pulling out of a training session earlier in the week.

But speaking to the media on Saturday, he admitted it was still a cause for concern. The 35-year-old is hopeful it will not cause him a problem over the next couple of weeks in Melbourne, with Roberto Carballes Baena his first-round opponent on Tuesday.
Djokovic told reporters: “Well, I’ve been struggling with that a bit, to be honest, the last seven days. But it’s hopefully not the major concern.

“Obviously, I’m being a bit more cautious. I’m not going full out on the training sessions, conserving the energy for next week. Hopefully it won’t cause an issue for me then.”

Novak Djokovic is one behind Rafael Nadal’s men’s record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles. He admits chasing the record is a big motivation for him heading into the first major of 2023.

He added: “Of course, it is. I mean, that’s why I keep on playing professional tennis, competition tennis, because I want to be the best, I want to win the biggest tournaments in the world. There is no secret about it.

“It doesn’t get bigger than this. You have four slams that historically have been the biggest events in our sport. It’s also one of the biggest reasons why I was really looking forward to come back to Australia: because of my record here.

“I really love playing in Rod Laver Arena, particularly night sessions. I’ve had plenty of success that hopefully can continue this year.

“I’m in a very good shape. I ended the year in the best possible way, and continued that form in Adelaide. I like the way I played there. I beat some really good players, especially in the last few matches of the tournament.

“I like my chances. I always like my chances. I train as hard as really anybody out there. There’s a lot of youngsters now that are very hungry, that want to win. They want to take a scalp off you on the big stadium. I know that.”