With 14 Majors, 29 Masters 1000 shields and seven ATP Finals trophies, Novak Djokovic stands as the most decorated hard-court player in tennis history. The Serb's rivals usually expect little when they face him on the most common surface, although it's not the case with Jannik Sinner!
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The young Italian has beaten Djokovic in four of their five hard-court duels, standing at a staggering 80% ratio. Thus, Jannik has become the legend's most challenging rival on this surface, passing Andy Roddick and Roger Federer.
Of course, we have to consider the timeline of their rivalry, with Sinner earning his wins over Djokovic after the legend's 36th and 37th birthday. The veteran had the upper hand over the youngster at the beginning of their rivalry, earning wins on clay and grass ahead of their five hard-court meetings.
The first two came at last year's ATP Finals, in the round-robin stage and the title clash. The Italian made the home fans proud with a thrilling 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 triumph over world no. 1 in the group action, beating Novak for the first time.
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Sinner sealed the deal in three hours and eight minutes after a massive battle. We saw 35 aces on the fast indoor court and only six break points. The home star suffered one break and delivered two return games, prevailing in the crucial moments and celebrating a notable win.
Jannik took charge in the closing stages of the opening set, overcoming a 40-0 deficit in the 11th game for a break and holding at love for 7-5. There were no break chances in the second set, with Djokovic feeling the pressure in the tie break.
However, he clinched it with a service winner, leveling the overall score after two hours and five minutes. The young gun secured a break in the sixth game of the final set, building the advantage and moving closer to the finish line.
However, the veteran pulled it back in the next one, returning to the positive side and reaching a deciding tie break. Jannik forged a 5-0 advantage and landed a smash winner at 6-2, sealing the deal in style and defeating Novak for the first time.
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Jannik Sinner leads Novak Djokovic 4-1 on hard courts.
The same rivals met in the title clash, and the empire struck back. Djokovic ousted Sinner 6-3, 6-3 for the record-breaking seventh ATP Finals crown and his only hard-court win over the Italian.
The home player did not play at his best, struggling physically and failing to repeat the performance from a couple of days ago. Novak saved two break points and delivered three breaks to control the scoreboard and wrap up the title.
Six days later, two rivals embraced another indoor hard duel in the Davis Cup Finals semi-final. The Serb missed a massive chance to propel Serbia into the final, wasting three match points and suffering a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 loss!
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Each player dominated sets one and two, and we saw a massive battle in the decider. Sinner made a strong start, dropping five points in his games in the opening set and earning back-to-back breaks for 6-2 in 37 minutes. Djokovic bounced back in set number two, sailing through his service games and securing two breaks, forcing a decider after an hour and 19 minutes.
Jannik saved a break point in the second game of the final set and prevailed after seven deuces. The Italian denied another break chance in the eighth game with a forehand drive-volley winner, holding for 4-4.
Novak held at love in game nine and earned three match points in the next one. Sinner kept his composure and hit well, defending them and locking the result at 5-5. He gained a boost and clinched a break in the 11th game with a forehand down the line winner.
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The young gun held at 6-5 to emerge at the top, beating the legend for the second time within two weeks. Jannik rode on this wave and conquered his first Major crown in Melbourne at the beginning of 2024. Sinner faced the ten-time champion Djokovic in the semi-final and scored a dominant 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 victory for a place in his first Major final.
The Italian beat the Serb for the third time in their four hard-court duels, dominating on serve and return and delivering Novak's first Australian Open loss after the quarter-final stage.
More importantly, the young gun never faced a break point, becoming the first player to achieve that against the best returner ever in the complete matches at Majors! Sinner dominated sets one and two, bringing them home in no time and gaining confidence.
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Novak survived in the third set and saved a match point in the tie break to clinch it and prolong the action. However, the Italian made a fresh push in the fourth set, sealing the deal and emerging over the top. Their fifth hard-court duel came last Sunday in the Shanghai Masters final.
Jannik extended his streak over the four-time champion, clinching a 7-6, 6-3 triumph and beating Novak for the fourth time in five hard-court encounters. Like in Melbourne, the younger player faced no break points, mounting the pressure on the other side.
Djokovic reached a tie break in the first set before spraying a couple of costly errors. He suffered the only break in the middle of the second set, allowing his opponent to seal the deal with a hold at 5-3.
