Novak Djokovic has been the pinnacle of success over the past few years and has worked harder than ever on his game to be one of the best tennis players to ever step on the court. He has ended the 2020 season at the number 1 spot in the ATP World Rankings and has won most trophies this time round. Despite all the setbacks, which even saw him getting infected with the Corona Virus itself, Djokovic came back even stronger to show the world his abilities and perseverance under pressure. Let us take a look at how Djokovic performed in the major tournaments this year.
Mubadala World Tennis Championship – Djokovic started the season by playing the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition tournament from 19 to December 21, 2019. Djokovic won third place after defeating Karen Khachanov 7–5, 6–3 in Abu Dhabi.
ATP Cup – The 2020 ATP Cup was the inaugural edition of this tournament that saw the Serb win six matches in singles and two matches in doubles, which also included an impressive win against Daniil Medvedev a final victory against none other than Rafael Nadal.
Australian Open – The 2020 Australian Open was another record-breaking campaign for Novak Djokovic. He went on to successfully defend his title and win his record-breaking eight Australian Open titles. He defeated Dominic Thiem 6–4, 4–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 in the final match to lift the trophy at the end.
Dubai Tennis Championship – Djokovic took part in the Dubai Championship and went on to win his fifth title in Dubai after having tough matches against Gael Monfils and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Semi-Finals and Final, respectively. This title victory was his 21st consecutive match victory, which started in 2019.
The tennis world was put on a stand still when the Corona Virus had spread worldwide and caused a pandemic that stopped all sporting activities from March 8. The ATP and WTA announced the postponement of all the tournaments till August 16 and even froze the rankings. The Tokyo Olympics was postponed to next year, and Wimbledon was canceled as well. The virus had even infected Djokovic during the Adria Tennis tour after he helped to organise the event. He was held responsible for it as well, along with a lot of criticism from the Media.
US Open – Novak Djokovic’s luck was just not on his side. After regaining his fitness and finally participating in a Grand Slam, he, unfortunately, got disqualified from the 2020 US Open for recklessness in his fourth-round encounter with P. Carreno Busta when he accidentally hit a lineswoman with a tennis ball. This disqualification saw him end his 29-game winning streak disappointingly.
Italian Open – On the arrival of Clay Court season, Novak finally found his rhythm back again and went on to win his record 36th ATP Masters Tour 1000 title and his fifth title in Rome by beating David Schwartzman in the final 7-5, 6-3. With this win, he was back on track in his pursuit of being number one till the end of the season.
French Open – Novak went into the French Open 2020 with an aim to win each Grand Slam twice and came very close to it as he reached the final of the competition after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semis. He was eventually defeated by the “King of Clay” Rafael Nadal, who won his 20th Grand Slam with his 13th French Open victory.
Vienna Open – The 2020 Erst Bank Open in Vienna saw Novak Djokovic going for his 18th Grand Slam title this time but was left disappointed when he lost to Lorenzo Sonego in the quarters.
All in all, Novak Djokovic had one hell of a successful season and remained number 1 in the ATP rankings at the end as well. He is only 3 Grand Slams away to equal the record 20 grand slams record of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Written By
Shashwat Nishant
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