Australian Open 2023: Can Anyone Beat Novak Djokovic?

Novak Djokovic produced his most emphatic performance of the 2023 Australian Open in his straight sets dismantling of Alex De Minaur. 

The Australian stood no chance against the clinical shot-making of the Serb, whose consummate performance allayed any fears of his dubious hamstring.

Even the 21-time Grand Slam winner admitted post-match that he was feeling confident in the injury, telling Jim Courier, “I didn’t feel anything [with my hamstring] today, so today was great.”

Courier: 'I'm not gonna ask you how you beat him so convincingly, I'm gonna ask you *why* you beat him so convincingly'

Djokovic [pauses, smirks]: 'Because I wanted to' 🥶 pic.twitter.com/STcF5q1KpT

— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) January 23, 2023

The performance saw Djokovic come in from a $2.00 favourite on Sportsbet to $1.45, with Stats Insider giving him a 67.2% chance of lifting the trophy.

His movement around the court and power from both corners was worlds away from his previous matches on Rod Laver Arena last week, where he was struggling to slide into shots and get up to the net. 

He didn’t give De Minaur a breakpoint opportunity on his way to dropping just five games all night, showing a dominant return to form.

This all begs the question: can anyone beat Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Australian Open?

2023 Australian Open: Who does Novak Djokovic play in the quarterfinal? 

Djokovic comes up against 5th seed Andrey Rublev in the 2023 Australian Open quarterfinal, after the Russian won through in a seesawing encounter against teenager Holger Rune. He trailed 0-5 in the fifth set super tiebreaker, but pulled out the win off a fortuitous forehand that found the drawcord and trickled over to Rune’s side of the court.

Andrey Rublev advances to the quarterfinals of the #AusOpen after a 5 set 4th round contest.

Here's how the live probability worm looked at the conclusion of the 5th.

Rublev will face the winner of tonight's Alex de Minaur vs Novak Djokovic match-up: https://t.co/SmN1vR9UCC pic.twitter.com/Z9xrNoc2KQ

— Stats Insider (@StatsInsider) January 23, 2023

Rublev can match it from the baseline with just about anyone on the ATP Tour, relying on his dominant serve and ripping forehand to find winners. Against Rune, he struggled to consistently produce those winners, and he was found wanting on his backhand side that the Dane routinely targeted.

Down 5-2 in the fifth set, Rublev was given just a 6.2% chance of winning through by Stats Insider, highlighting his incredible comeback to make the quarters.

If you give Rublev time to wheel around and rip his forehand from the left side of the court, he can open the racquet face and begin to dictate points. But without that time, he’s forced to defend with a shot that Djokovic will be able to take advantage of from across the court.

The Serb 4th seed holds a 2-1 head-to-head lead over Rublev, with his loss coming on clay in Belgrade.

It will be difficult to see Rublev finding a way to win this quarter if Djokovic can target his backhand and disrupt his service games.

2023 Australian Open: Who does Novak Djokovic play in the semifinal?

It’s an All-American affair to potentially face Djokovic in the 2023 Australian Open semifinal.

Ben Shelton was playing NCAA tennis six months ago, and at his first Australian Open since turning pro he’s announcing himself as a left-hander with explosive power.

The Florida Gator boasts a huge serve, hitting speeds over 220 km/h which gives him the platform to apply pressure on his opponent’s service games.

Quarterfinal bound! UNREAL.@BenShelton is just built different ‼️#GoGators 🐊🎾 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/8LztzEAbtj

— Gators Men's Tennis (@GatorsMTN) January 23, 2023

Shelton will be the outsider against Tommy Paul, who has recaptured his very best form after an injury-plagued career.

Paul hit 11 aces against Roberto Bautista Agut, closing his fourth round matchup out in four sets. He has considerably less time on court than Shelton, who has already gone to five sets twice in his four matches.

For Djokovic, he hasn’t faced Shelton before in his short professional career, and he’s never faced Paul either despite spending years on the Tour with the 25-year-old.

The Serbian juggernaut will be a heavy favourite to roll over either American. Both will rely heavily on their serves, and the greatest serve returner tennis has ever seen won’t be daunted by their best weapon.

2023 Australian Open: Who will Novak Djokovic play in the final?

Stefanos Tsitsipas is the most likely of four potential opponents for Djokovic to face in the Australian Open final. He’s currently the second favourite for the title at $4.50 on Sportsbet, and he’s the most likely to cause an upset at Melbourne Park.

The Greek star has been so close to a Grand Slam triumph for years now, with the 2021 French Open being the closest he has come. It was a heart-breaking final for Stef, winning the first two sets before Djokovic rolled over the top of him in five.

So, can Tsitsipas get his revenge?

His ground strokes have been pure all tournament, with his racquet speed a big weapon in striking the new Dunlop balls being used.

His one-handed backhand has caused some problems for Djokovic in the past; Tsitsipas is able to routinely go down the line in cross-court exchanges and shift the Serb around the court with pace.

Tsitsipas’ serve will need to be at its very best, but the biggest issue he’ll face is his mental demons if Djokovic wrestles away momentum. 

The 3rd seed didn’t drop a set until meeting Jannik Sinner in the fourth round, with the Italian young gun pushing him to five in a gruelling match. He was rolling in the first two sets, but when momentum started going towards the Italian, he crumbled.

Tsitsipas dropped two sets and found himself in a brawl to remain in the Open, eventually pulling the win out.

Stunning, Stef 🤩

That is brilliant from the No.3 seed!@steftsitsipas • @wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/WmrTNuHb1o

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2023

It’s a scenario he’s been all-too familiar with in his career, struggling to find his rhythm when matches tighten up. It may however be a blessing that he was forced to five against Sinner, where he could get some experience in that situation on Rod Laver Arena and find some confidence in himself to win points when they mattered.

Djokovic has won the last nine matches against Tsitsipas, and 10 of their 12 head-to-heads. In their two Grand Slam meetings, he’s outlasted him in five sets on both occasions.

Tsitsipas is given an 18.3% chance of claiming his maiden Grand Slam title by Stats Insider, and he’s the best chance the field has of standing in the way of Novak Djokovic and his 10th Australian Open trophy.

 (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)