Is he serious? Novak Djokovic wants to remain undefeated in 2020
Novak Djokovic has his season record of 18 wins in Dubai with no defeat yet. And surprised with an announcement after the finale.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Mar 01, 2020, 04:09 pm
Six wins in the ATP Cup, seven in the Australian Open and now another five in the tournament in Dubai: Novak Djokovic has made a season start to measure. And supposedly Papa Srdjan has already asked to make room in the trophy cupboard because this year he wants to win the four big trophies - at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open - all of them.
After beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Dubai final, Djokovic went even further. "One of my goals is to get through the entire season unbeaten," said Djokovic, adding quickly: "No, I'm just kidding." Then he pondered briefly. "No, I'm actually not kidding," he added, laughing. "I want to take things step by step. Of course - the more I win, the more self-confidence I get. And the more exciting it is for me to tackle the next match. But we're taking it slow," he said a little more seriously.
Djokovic: Already 2011 with 41 wins at the start of the season
Is a season without defeat really realistic? After all, Djokovic was in the Dubai semi-final against Gael Monfils before the end. After winning the first set in the tie-break of the second, the Frenchman had three match balls in a row at 6: 3 - two of them with a second serve. But Monfils got hectic, firing an unnecessary backhand into the side-off on the first try, putting a forehand too long on the second; Djokovic defended the third chance with his own service in a controlled, offensive manner.
A full season without defeat would actually be a novelty. Djokovic had already had a great start to the 2011 season when he remained unbeaten until the semi-finals of the French Open. Roger Federer ended the Djokovic series at 41 matches without defeat, making Djokovic the second-best start to the season in history; John McEnroe was unbeaten in 1984 for 42 consecutive matches from the beginning of the year. (Djokovic won a total of 43 matches, but two of them because his opponent did not play; these games were not included in the statistics.)
Indian Wells and Miami are coming up
To stick to the "step by step" topic: Djokovic will now try to further expand his season opening balance sheet in Indian Wells and Miami. And he has a lot to make up for at these two tournaments: In Indian Wells, the round of 16 was in 2017, at the start in 2018 and in 2019 after only one match won; Djokovic lost in Miami in 2018 and in the round of 16 in 2019.
However, should he achieve the "Sunshine Double" in 2020 - as he did in 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016 - then he could add another twelve wins to his opening balance sheet ...