That Novak Djokovic is the GOAT of tennis is now a widely accepted fact around the globe. He may still find it difficult to garner the same attention and praise from the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fans, but his achievements speak for themselves. With more Grand Slams than anyone in the sport’s history, Djokovic won 10 out of 24 Grand Slams in the Australian Open. Interestingly enough, the Serb never failed to win the title after reaching the ‘Happy Slam’ semi-finals.
It wasn’t easy for him to break into the mold of winning Grand Slams, with Federer and Nadal dominating the circuit. A journey that started in 2008, Djokovic is now about to play his 11th AO semi-final against Jannik Sinner, another worthy opponent. While Sinner has been touted as the next big thing to dethrone Djokovic, will the 36-year-old let the youngster through in what is his forte?
With that in mind, here’s looking at Djokovic’s previous 10 semi-finals at the Australian Open:
The time Novak Djokovic stunned World No.1 Roger Federer (2008)
The first time Djokovic beat Federer at the Australian Open was in the 2008 Majors semi-final. This was the seventh encounter between the two players, and Djokovic had only won once before that match. However, on that day, Djokovic was on song. Some of the shots were marvellous and he matched Federer shot by shot in first serves and aces. It was as if he had the Midas touch.
Djokovic defeated Federer in straight sets with the score reading 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5). Federer was so distraught after this match that he has since taken potshots at the current great many times since. Such was the impact of the win, that Federer never beat Djokovic ever again in the Australian Open.
Djokovic outfoxed Federer once more (2011)
Surprisingly after his first-ever Australian Open win, Djokovic didn’t qualify for the semi-finals in the next two editions. He came back strongly in the 2011 edition though, and yet again his opponent was the Swiss great Roger Federer. By this time, Federer had slipped to the 2nd rank and Djokovic was right behind him at 3.
Rafael Nadal was still the World No. 1 then. After their last semi-final clash at the 2008 AO, Federer didn’t let Djokovic get the better of him. They met 12 times after that match and Federer won 8 of those matches.
However, come the big moment, Djokovic was prepared for his strict rival. Despite being behind in rankings and head-to-head back then, Djokovic once again won the match in straight sets. He beat the Swiss 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the finals. In the finals, Andy Murray was no match for Djokovic.
Djokovic won a hard-fought battle against Murray (2012)
Djokovic was back in 2012 displaying his dominance in the tournament. The other semi-finalists were Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray. Interestingly, Djokovic didn’t face Federer this time, but Murray provided a terrific clash against him. The game went till five sets and at times looked like Murray could win.
In the end, however, Djokovic showed his nerves of steel, as he so often does in climax situations. The Serb won the match 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 7-5. The match went on till the final point of the final set, Djokovic, who was ranked 1 by then, went through to the finals. He beat Rafael Nadal in five sets too to win the tournament.
Spanish player David Ferrer was no match for Novak Djokovic (2013)
This marked a hat-trick of wins for Djokovic at the Australian Open. However, this time his opponents were neither his Big Three counterparts nor was it Andy Murray. It was World No. 5 David Ferrer from Spain who reached his second-ever Australian Open semi-finals. Ferrer beat fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro to book his semi-final berth, but Djokovic was simply too good for him.
Djokovic won the game in straight sets by 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. There was very little Ferrer could do against the World No. 1, and thus it brought an end to his Grand Slam dream. He reached the French Open finals, his best performance to date, that very same year, but lost to fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal. Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray once again in the finals to win it.
Djokovic takes his sweet revenge against Wawrinka (2015)
Barring 2014 in the middle, where Djokovic was knocked out by Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals, he back showing his true colors in 2015. As luck would have it, it was against Wawrinka again. This was a fantastic opportunity for the Serb to take his revenge against the Swiss, for what happened last time around. And Djokovic accepted it gracefully with both hands.
The semi-final clash was a perfect see-saw battle between the two stalwarts. Djokovic won the first set 7-6 (7-1) and Wawrinka the next by 6-3. It repeated for the next two sets by 6-4 for Djokovic and then for Wawrinka. As both shared two sets, the stage was ready for the final set. However, Djokovic completely obliterated the Swiss in the final set, scoring a bagel. Once again, the Serb showed maximum potential when it was needed the most.
Novak Djokovic was back to winning ways against Roger Federer (2016)
As mentioned earlier, Federer never won against Djokovic at the Australian Open again. This was the second of three semi-finals Federer played against Djoker. By this time, Federer was in his mid-thirties, tilting towards the fag end of his career. Djokovic, still in absolute prime left no stone unturned in defeating his rival.
Federer won only one set, the third one by 6-3. Djokovic dominated in every other set winning it by 6-1, 6-2, and 6-3 margin. The game was over in four sets. For the fourth time in their career, Djokovic met Andy Murray in the finals of the Majors. Inevitably, Djokovic won again, this time by 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3)
Novak Djokovic ended French player Lucas Pouille’s Grand Slam dreams in his only Majors semi-finals (2019)
Djokovic didn’t qualify for the Top 4 for the next couple of years after his win against Murray in 2016. In 2019, he qualified again after getting a walkover against Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals. This time he had a fresh face as an opponent, a Frenchman who had never reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam before (or since). Lucas Pouille was 25 years old and was faced against the best player in the tournament.
This time around, Djokovic didn’t wait for the game to drift very far before showing his true colors. He started with a bagel. He won the next two sets by 6-2 each and qualified for the finals. Such was his great form that year, he even ended Rafael Nadal in the finals in straight sets of 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer: One Final Time (2020)
This was the final time Novak Djokovic played against Roger Federer. Not just in the Australian Open, but overall. This ended one of the most enduring and endearing rivalries, that lasted 50 matches. Even though Federer took a healthy lead against Djokovic early on in their head-to-heads, Djokovic was ahead by the end with 27 wins and 23 losses.
Djokovic came out victorious in their final meet. Federer, nearly 40 by then, fought hard to tie the first set before losing it 6-7 (1-7). For the next two games, Djokovic didn’t let the dust settle, winning it 6-4, 6-3. He won the final by beating a relatively inexperienced Dominic Thiem.
Novak Djokovic completes his 2nd hattrick at the Majors, against Aslan Karatsev (2021)
For the second time in his career, Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open back-to-back three times. Subsequently, he completed the hat trick of wins too. Times had changed and the sport saw a new crop of players emerge like Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. But Djokovic’s opponent was a very inexperienced Aslan Karatsev. Karatsev reached his first and only Grand Slam semi-final to date at the 2021 AO. Unfortunately for him, he met the ultimate GOAT from Serbia.
Djokovic, in his mid-thirties, was just too heavy for Karatsev, who was in his late 20s. He won the match by 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, sparing no set to his Russian opponent. He beat Medvedev in straight sets too to win the championship a record 9 times.
Back from controversy, Novak Djokovic won his 10th semi-final against Tommy Paul (2023)
Djokovic won his 10th semi-final at the Australian Open convincingly. But before 2023, what was notable was his absence from the Majors in 2022. Djokovic got into some deep-rooted controversy after his stance as an anti-vax supporter.
The Serb was willing to miss tournaments to uphold his stance, as he said clearly and repeatedly. And so he did miss out on the 2022 AO edition, which was won by Rafael Nadal. However, when he was back in 2023, it was as if nothing had changed.
Tommy Paul, who reached his first and only Grand Slam semi-final to date, didn’t even stand a chance against the great. He lost in straight sets by 5-7, 1-6, 2-6, as the 35-year-old marched into his 11th final. He beat Tsitsipas in straight sets too to win the tournament.
A defending champion, Djokovic’s opponent is Sinner at the moment. Conquering that match would mean either facing Zverev or Medvedev in the finals. Will he win his record 12th Australian Open semi-final, and subsequently the final?
