Novak Djokovic and his Grand Slams : 6. Australian Open 2013

Novak Djokovic and his Grand Slams

Novak Djokovic made his country extremely proud as he became the first Serbian to win a Grand Slam title. That was 2008. Now, he has not only become a force to reckon with, but has also gained the World No.1 rank giving a tough time to players like Nadal and Federer. He has become a favourite of the tennis fraternity in no time. Tennis fans all across the world love his cheerful presence on and off the court.

Here is a list of all the Grand Slams won by the Djoker.

1. Australian Open 2008

In what was his first Grand Slam title, Novak Djokovic defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets to win Australian Open 2008. The 20-year-old also created history as he became the first Serb to win a Grand Slam title.

The match lasted for 3 hours and six minutes and Nole bounced back after losing the first set 4-6. Djoker had defeated Roger Federer in the semis whereas Tsonga edged past Nadal to seal his berth for the final.

“I`m very, very happy that I won my first Grand Slam here, so hopefully we`ll see you here on this stage a lot more often," Djokovic said. The 20-year-old Serb also became the first man other than No. 2 Rafael Nadal to win a Grand Slam title from Federer since Marat Safin won the 2005 Australian Open.

2. Australian Open 2011

Djokovic extened Britain’s 75-year drought in men`s Grand Slam singles as he defeated their no. 1 player Andy Murray in three straight sets to bag his second grand slam, another Australian Open crown.

This was Murray’s third defeat in Grand Slam finals after losing to Roger Federer in the 2008 U.S. Open and 2010 Australian Open. Djokovic was in sublime form throughout the tournament as he defeated Federer in straight sets 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-4 in the semis. Nole continued his good run in the final as he defeated his long time friend Murray 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 to become the only Serb to win a Davis Cup as well as two Grand Slam titles.

Not often do we see Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal out of a Grand Slam final. Since the French Open in 2005, there was just one more occasion – Aus Open 2008 in which neither Federer nor Rafael Nadal appeared in the final.

3. Wimbledon 2011

Prior to the final, Novak Djokovic had never defeated Rafael Nadal in a Grand Slam match. But the Spaniard, who was also the defending champion, was outclassed by the Serb who clinched his maiden Wimbledon title.

Djokovic won 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3 to end Nadal`s reign as Wimbledon champion, and he also leapfrogged the Spaniard as world number one.

Djokovic’s immediate reaction after the match, where he fell on the Centre Court, plucked some blades of grass and shoved them in his mouth, showed how much the victory meant to him. Recalling his reaction, Nole said, "I felt like an animal. I wanted to see how it tastes. It tastes good. It came spontaneously, really. I didn`t plan to do it. I didn`t know what to do for my excitement and joy."

Nadal had defeated Djokovic in five Grand Slam meetings and was the favourite to win the tournament as he was also on a 20-match winning streak at the All England Club. Novak ruined his party and made his fans ecstatic by winning his third Grand Slam.

4. US Open 2011

It was revenge time for Novak Djokovic. For some time now, the in-form Djokovic knew how to tackle Rafael Nadal. The Serbian once again outclassed Nadal 6-2 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 in four hours and 10 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Nadal lifted the trophy 12 months ago against the Serbian.

The World No. 1 didn’t look physically fit to counter Nadal, but mentally he was much stronger than his opponent as he beat No. 2 Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1, in a match which had some of the best rallies the world had ever seen.

Djokovic who had an incredible run in 2011, won his sixth successive match against Nadal, all in tournament finals. Nadal who is known to trouble his opponents with a wide serve, didn’t succeed this time as Djokovic consistently returned them at Nadal`s feet, forcing him to make errors.

5. Australian Open 2012

Nadal and Djokovic had played some tough matches, some which got over their nerves, but the Australian Open final in 2012 would be remembered as an epic, where both of them provided the crowd with entertainment worth their money.

Defending champion Djokovic, defeated the second-seeded Nadal, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5, in a match that lasted 5 hours 53 minutes, making it the longest Grand Slam men’s singles final in the history of the game.

"It was obvious on the court for everybody who has watched the match that both of us, physically, we took the last drop of energy that we had from our bodies," Djokovic said. "We made history tonight and unfortunately there couldn`t be two winners."

The match ended at 1:37 a.m. Monday morning in Melbourne. Djokovic gave tennis fans a memorable sight as he ripped off his shirt celebrating his marathon victory. At the post match conference, it was another funny sight for the fans as both the players were on their haunches and were later offered chairs to sit, much to their relief.

Nadal too made history for the wrong reason as he became the first man in the Open era to lose three straight major singles finals.

6. Australian Open 2013

History was once again up for grabs as old friends Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray once again met in a Grand Slam final. While Andy Murray was seeking to become the only man in the Open era to follow his first Grand Slam victory with another title in his next major, Djokovic was looking forward to creating his own piece of history by becoming the first man in the modern era to win three successive Australian Open titles.

Murray had dominated the proceedings against Roger Federer in the semis and it was predicted to be a tough match. It was, till the end of the second set’s tie-breaker. Murray definitely looked the better of the two players as he won the first set in a tie-breaker. But by the end of the second set, Djokovic as expected, raised the level of tennis and cruised to the history books.

Only two other men, American Jack Crawford (1931-33) and Australian Roy Emerson (1963-67), have won three or more consecutive Australian championships.