The next Grand Slam was the 2008 Australian Open. Djokovic earned himself a No. 3 seed. He reached the semifinals and became the youngest to do so in all four Grand Slams. In the semifinal, Djokovic had a rematch with no. 1 Federer. The match was the exact opposite of the one in New York with Djokovic winning in straight sets. He completed the tournament with a win against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to capture his first ever Grand Slam title.
The 2008 title would be the first of five titles Djokovic has won in Melbourne, Australia. Early Sunday morning, Djokovic claimed his fifth title with a win over Andy Murray. With the win, Djokovic has become the best Australian Open player of all time. No other player has reached the five-title mark. It is time to put Djokovic in the argument as one of the best players of all time.
Federer and Rafael Nadal, who are two of the best players ever, overshadow Djokovic. They are on top of the list for most Grand Slam titles with 17 and 14, respectively. Those numbers make Djokovic’s eight Grand Slam titles not look as impressive, but in fact this is the sixth-highest number of Grand Slams held. At the age of 27, he has plenty of time to win many other titles. If he were to win just one more, he would become only the eighth player ever to win nine Grand Slams.
Djokovic might have even more Grand Slams if he played in a different era of tennis. Nadal (3) and Federer (2) have combined to beat Djokovic five times in a Grand Slam final. Djokovic is a talent who is under-appreciated. His stats after his career is over will shock people, when so many are focused on Nadal and Federer. For now, Federer and Nadal continue to soak up the spotlight, while one of the best players ever is playing in their wake.
