The first major of the season kicks off in Melbourne on February 8, with Novak Djokovic the main favorite. Eight-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic will be aiming for another crown in the hopes of defending the title won in 2020 and making the GOAT race even more enjoyable.
Former Davis Cup player and captain Nikola Pilic believes Djokovic would be a player to beat with or without Roger Federer in the draw. He praised the Serb’s performance in Melbourne and chose him as a title contender if Novak remains 100% physical in possible difficult encounters.
In 2020, Novak scored a 6: 4, 4: 6, 2: 6, 6: 3, 6: 4 triumph over Dominic Thiem in four hours, added the 17th Major Cup to the balance sheet and moved closer to Federer and Nadal approach. Djokovic overcame all obstacles, defended 2000 points and returned to the ATP throne.
It was the 11th major title for the Serb on hard courts, who joined Roger Federer at the top and became the third player with eight crowns in a single major after Federer and Nadal! Djokovic won ten points more, forced more mistakes than Dominic and hit fewer casual mistakes, even though all the numbers were mighty close together.
Nothing could separate rivals in the mid-range rallies, while the Serb had a small advantage in the shortest and most advanced rallies and recovered after a dragging third set to keep the upper hand.
There were five breaks on each side, and Novak used all of his experience to cross the finish line first and remain undefeated in the Australian Open semifinals and finals. In the final stages he won all 16 matches.
Thiem wasted game points in his first service game and suffered a break, which he withdrew 2: 4 after Djokovic’s backhand error. The Serb made another break 5-4 when the Austrian hit a double fault to end the set and gain momentum.
Dominic prevailed in the third game of the second set before losing the advantage at 4-3 when Novak fell back.
Nikola Pilic believes Novak Djokovic is the Australian Open’s top favorite
Thiem was more focused in these moments, made a break in the ninth game at 15 and a few minutes later secured the set with 1: 1.
Carried by this momentum, the Austrian took the lead 4-0 in the third set and gained a lead of 6-2 over the first major title. With no room for error, Djokovic survived a break in the third game of the fourth set and took 12 of the last 15 points to win three games in a row 3-3 and get a massive boost before the fifth set in which he was the favorite now.
The Serb broke the Austrian 1-1 and fended off two breaks in the next game to gain a 3-1 lead. With his back against the wall, Dominic won his service game after Deuce in game five for an important service game that kept him within a break deficit.
Thiem faced a break chance of 2: 4 and pushed it off with a service winner. He finished the game on another strong serve to keep in touch. Novak produced a service winner in game eight who stayed ahead, forcing the rival to serve on 3-5.
Thiem showed no signs of nervousness and won his service game when Djokovic made a backhand error, reduced the deficit to 4-5 and got one last chance to return. He opened the game with a backhand winner, but Djokovic was undeniable.
He put an ace for 15-15 and won his service game after a forehand error by Thiem to celebrate the title. “Novak has won eight Australian Open titles. In Australia he always plays fantastic. This is his place and he is the top favorite, with or without Roger Federer in the draw.
It is crucial for Novak to be 100% physical and avoid possible problems that can arise at major events, “said Nikola Pilic.
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