Novak Djokovic’s impressive performance at the age of 36 has had a significant impact on numerous players. In the past, Novak Djokovic has consistently faced tough competition from Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. However, with Federer’s retirement and Nadal’s injury sidelining him, Djokovic has truly shined this season. He won an impressive seven out of nine titles this season.
The youngsters seem to be against him, with Carlos Alcaraz already determined to spoil the Serbian lofty ambitions come 2024, other players seem to have joined and the intention seems to be growing well among them.
Holger Rune seeks to defeat Novak Djokovic
Holger Rune expressed his excitement for facing Novak Djokovic in the 2024 Australian Open final. Novak Djokovic, the current record holder of the Australian Open with 10 Slams on Melbourne’s hard court, recently expressed his desire to win more trophies in the future. However, with emerging talents such as Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune setting their sights on the Serbian legend, it appears that the younger generation has indeed started to make their mark.
In 2022, Rune made his debut in Melbourne, but it wasn’t until 2023 that he secured his first win in the first Slam tournament of the season. However, his campaign came to a halt when he stumbled in the fourth round against Andrey Rublev, unable to seize the opportunity of two match points and ultimately losing in five sets.
Despite his relative inexperience at the Australian Open, Holger Rune is willing to chase the near-impossible of defeating Novak Djokovic in the final. “Now I want to have great results on outdoor hard ground,” Rune told Bola Amarela when asked about a victory he fancies in 2024.
“I’ve done very well on clay, grass and indoor hard courts, so now it’s time to show off my outdoor hardcourt tennis. That’s why my choice would be the Australian Open final against Novak,” the 2022 Paris Masters champion added.
Holger Rune vs Novak Djokovic head-to-head
Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune have become rivals in tennis, and the famous defeat Djokovic suffered at the Danish star hand was at the Rolex Paris Masters Finals. However, the duo has played each other five times on the ATP Tour and Rune has always made life very difficult for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Djokovic still leads in the head-to-head record standing at 3-2. Novak Djokovic won the first one back in the 2021 US Open round one clash, when he needed four sets to beat Rune and the Dane had his revenge in the final of the Paris Masters in 2022 and then in Rome in 2023. The Serbian finally asserted himself over Rune when he beat the youngster in the quarterfinals of the Rolex Paris Masters.
Most recently, Djokovic asserted his dominance over Holger at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin with a 7-6 (4), 6-7 (1), 6-3 win to secure the year-end No. 1 ranking. Djokovic has won 97 titles, including 24 Grand Slam titles, putting him third on the all-time list behind Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103). Rune has won four titles to date on the ATP Tour. The Dane’s first title came in Munich in 2022, followed quickly by titles in Stockholm and Paris.
