Four players who could stop Novak Djokovic’s dominance at the Australian Open

When it comes to the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic has certainly made a name for himself as the man to beat Down Under. Since his maiden victory in Melbourne in 2008, the Serbian has won the tournament an impressive eight times, which is his best return at any of tennis’ big four Slams.

With the latest edition of the Melbourne Park-based tournament just around the corner, Djokovic is once again the favourite at sites like https://www.betfair.com/sport/tennis, but he will certainly face some tough competition from the rest of the field. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at four players who could put Djokovic off his stride.

Dominic Thiem – World No.3

World No.3 Dominic Thiem came agonisingly close to getting his hands on the Australian Open trophy last year. The 27-year-old reached the final of the Down Under showpiece for the first time in his career, but despite going 2-1 up in terms of sets, Djokovic showed his experience, fighting back to win 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Since then, the Austrian has got his hands on that maiden Slam title, winning the US Open last September, and it’s fair to say that he probably boasts the best chance of beating Djokovic next month.

Daniil Medvedev – World No.4

Daniil Medvedev will be hoping that he can carry his red-hot form from the end of last season into the upcoming Australian Open. The 24-year-old reached the semi-final of the US Open but was beaten by Thiem before a rather disappointing first-round exit at Roland Garros. However, he bounced back from that, ending the season in style. He won the Paris Masters before coming back from a set down to defeat Thiem in the ATP Finals in London. As a result, he ended the season 10 games unbeaten, and he will certainly be brimming with confidence as he goes on the hunt for that maiden Slam title in Melbourne.

Alexander Zverev – World No.7

In terms of the Grand Slams, Alexander Zverev had one of his best years to date last season. He reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time, where he was put out by Thiem, whilst he went one better at Flushing Meadows, progressing to the final of the US Open. The World No.7 took a two-set lead over Thiem in New York and look destined to land his maiden Grand Slam title. However, the Austrian put on an amazing comeback to deny the young German his first major crown. The 23-year-old will definitely be hoping to get his hands on the Australian Open title this year after coming so close to tasting glory last season.

Stefanos Tsitsipas – World No.6

At just 22 years of age, Stefanos Tsitsipas had already made massive strides in his career. In 2019, he reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in what was just his second attempt at Melbourne Park, and later that year he beat Thiem in the ATP Finals to become the youngest player to ever win the end-of-year competition (aged 18). At World No.6, Tsitsipas is already the highest ranked Greek professional of all time and given what he has achieved this early in his career, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him challenging on all fronts at the upcoming Australian Open.