“Federer and Rafa Never Had it This Easy!”: Novak Djokovic’s ‘Weak’ Australian Open Draw Makes Fans Accuse Organisers of Bias

The draw for the Australian Open 2024 was released on Thursday and it’s already causing debate. The World No.1 and top seed, Novak Djokovic will enter the tournament as the favorite to defend his title, but he will face competition from the younger brigade. The Serbian is aiming to win a record 11th Australian Open title in 2024.

The Serbian has got a favorable draw though. The 36-year-old has avoided the tougher half of the draw, which has some big names. Djokovic’s draw means he will avoid the in-form Grigor Dimitrov, Danish star Holger Rune, Alexander Zverev and the man who was his US Open 2023 final opponent, Daniil Medvedev.

According to some fans on X, Novak Djokovic has been lucky with the draw again, as the Serbian will face a comparatively easier road till the semifinals. The tennis fans on social media even compared Djokovic’s draw to that of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and admitted that it was never this easy for ‘Fedal’. Meanwhile, some fans think that the Serbian is guaranteed to make it until the semi-finals.

[1] Novak Djokovic – #AusOpen path:

R1 – Qualifier ou Lucky Loser
R2 – Popyrin ou Polmans
R3 – Murray/Monfils/Etcheverry
R16 – Shelton/Mannarino/Wawrinka
QF – Tsitsipas/Fritz
SF– Sinner/Rublev/De Minaur
F – Alcaraz/Medvedev/Zverev/Rune

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 11, 2024

easiest draw i’ve ever seen in my 50 years of watching tennis. Federer and Rafa never had it this easy.

— Mu. (@FutbolMuu) January 11, 2024

Guaranteed semifinals, until Sinner. Easiest draw ever — never hear anyone say different. He could not have gotten an easier draw.

— Leslie Brodhead (@leslie_gb672) January 11, 2024

Easy glide path till the semis.

— Tejal Shah (@tejalshah1969) January 11, 2024

Absolute lock for semifinals

— ChrisjBrewer (@BrewerChrisj) January 11, 2024

free path to the semis

— sine (@A07sine) January 11, 2024

So guaranteed finals. As usual.

— urchinscratch (@urchinscratch) January 11, 2024

Pathetic draw

— BroziCK (@brozick2) January 11, 2024

Rigged as usual

— Carlos Sinner (@carlos_sin91033) January 11, 2024

Another cupcake draw for the injury faker in chief

— Calv (@calv_hill) January 11, 2024

Novak Djokovic and his path towards the Australian Open glory

Novak Djokovic will face a qualifier in the first round of the Australian Open. In the next round, Djokovic could face a player who is all set to gain massive support in Melbourne, Australia’s Alexei Popyrin. The Aussie young star could spring an upset but the Serbian will be a heavy favorite to advance.

Novak Djokovic could face his old rival, Andy Murray in the third round. The two tennis superstars have played in multiple Grand Slam finals together and this could be a classic match although Murray is way past his prime. In the Round of 16, Novak Djokovic could potentially face his US Open 2023 semifinal opponent Ben Shelton or his Australian Open 2015 final opponent, Stan Wawrinka. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has a good record against both the players and will fancy his chances.

The real test for Novak Djokovic will begin from the quarterfinals stage. The Serbian could face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarters, in what could be considered as a rematch of last year’s final. In the semi-final, a potential match with Jannik Sinner is an exciting prospect, given the duo’s rivalry at the end of last season.

Sinner defeated Djokovic twice in a span of two weeks and will fancy his chances. A showdown in the final with Carlos Alcaraz could be on cards if the world’s top 2 tennis players avoid any upsets during the tournament.