Novak Djokovic has more lives than a cat! The Serbian sensation is well-known to find brilliant solutions even when facing huge adversities. Novak won his last 2 slams after recovering from 2 tricky or impossible situations in the finals against Dominic Thiem (Australian Open 2020) and Roger Federer (Wimbledon 2019).
The injury
During the current Australian Open, Novak is coping with a nasty abdominal injury that has been hampering his movements since he played the 3rd set against Taylor Fritz in the 3rd round. Eventually, Djokovic won that match at the decider before beating Milos Raonic in the following round. After defeating the Canadian ace, Novak revealed that he didn’t withdraw from the competition only because it’s a slam.
“If I am part of any other tournament other than a Grand Slam, I definitely wouldn’t be playing.”@DjokerNole updates on the injury.#AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/PzZJk9e7S2
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 14, 2021
“No preparations, basically, for this match. I used every single hour I had since the last match against Taylor to recover and put myself in a position where I have a possibility to compete. If it was any other tournament than a Grand Slam I would retire or withdraw.
I didn’t know before I finished my warm up today, three hours before, whether I would play or not.”
Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev faced off 7 times. Their actual head to head record is 5-2 for Djokovic. The last time they locked horns, Novak Djokovic won 6-7(3) 6-2 7-5 in the round robin in Melbourne (ATP Cup) on the 5th of February 2021. This
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Djokovic at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2021
Now ranked no.1, Djokovic owns a composed 6-0 win-loss record in 2021. Novak is competing at the Australian Open where he overcame Jeremy Chardy 6-3 6-1 6-2, Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-73 7-62 6-3, Taylor Harry Fritz 7-61 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-2 and Milos Raonic 7-64 4-6 6-1 6-4.
The Serbian won 82 titles in his career: 48 on hard courts, 15 on clay courts, 13 on indoor courts and 6 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Zverev at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2021
Currently ranked no.7, Zverev has achieved a 5-2 match record in 2021. Zverev is now having a run at the Australian Open where he toppled Marcos Giron 6-78 7-64 6-3 6-2, Maxime Cressy 7-5 6-4 6-3, Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-3 6-1 and Dusan Lajovic 6-4 7-65 6-3.
Alexander won 13 titles in his career: 3 on hard courts, 5 on clay courts and 5 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)