So Djokovic will certainly not be letting his guard slip when he plays American Denis Kudla on Friday.
Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic suffered an injury scare at the Hopman Cup on Monday when the world No1 hurt his leg as fans pushed towards him while he signed autographs.
The third seed registered an emphatic 6-0, 6-2, 7-6 win over German Benjamin Becker in the first round of the Australian Open
Djokovic had been favourite to win a 10th title at Melbourne Park and claim a 21st Grand Slam crown but the Serb now faces being deported from Australia.
'It will take time for him to get his intensity back'
Novak Djokovic recovered from a set down to defeat fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the Dubai Championships on Wednesday, while India's Somdev Devvarman lost to Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.
The Serb, who turned 30 last month, will drop outside the top two for the first time since march 2011 on Monday -- quite a contrast to a year ago when his domination of men's tennis was complete after winning the French Open for the first time.
Novak Djokovic bolstered his hopes of holding on to his World No 1 status until the end of the season with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic to retain the Paris Masters title on Sunday.
Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal moved a step closer to another possible final showdown after recording straight-set wins in the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters on Friday.
Djokovic was soundly beaten by Zverev in the 2018 final, a match played out in an electrifying atmosphere in front of 18,000 fans. This time the arena was empty because of the COVID-19 lockdown, a surreal backdrop for a match with so much riding on it for both men.
No sooner had Novak Djokovic claimed his 17th Grand Slam trophy by triumphing at the Australian Open for the eighth time on Sunday, the Serb was already setting himself a deadline to claim the record of major titles. Djokovic's 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in a thriller over fifth seed Dominic Thiem drew him within three slams of Roger Federer's haul of 20 and two behind second-placed Rafa Nadal's 19.
'I can only see criticism lately and much of it is malicious'
Novak Djokovic's bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title kicked off on Monday with an easy win over qualifier Radu Albot in the US Open first round.
Novak Djokovic increased his Grand Slam tally to 19 titles, and is now one adrift of the men's record held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Champion Novak Djokovic foiled a stirring fightback from Roger Federer to defeat the Swiss 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 at the Australian Open on Thursday and charge into a fifth successive Grand Slam final.
World number two Novak Djokovic hammered Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1, 6-4 to reach the Paris Masters semi-finals on Friday.
Caroline Wozniacki revealed her mischievous side again at Wimbledon on Saturday as the world number one hijacked Novak Djokovic's pre-tournament press conference.
Nadal was much more than a claycourt bully, though. He spent more than 900 successive weeks from 2005 in the ATP's top 10, 209 of them at number one and at the age of 24 became the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam.
Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka rose to the occasion once again to beat Novak Djokovic with a scintillating display to win his first US Open and third Grand Slam title.
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were named men's and women's world champions for 2015 by the International Tennis Federation.
World number one Novak Djokovic and second ranked Rafa Nadal moved into the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open with straight set victories on Tuesday.
Novak Djokovic finally clinched the title missing from his resume with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Roger Federer on Sunday to win in Cincinnati and become the first player to complete the sweep of Masters series tournaments on Sunday.
Whatever the season's results or pundits may suggest, Rafael Nadal -- and not Novak Djokovic -- is the top favourite for the French Open title this year, Roger Federer assessed.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Australian Open quarter-finals by Stanislas Wawrinka 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 on Tuesday.
A year that began with a 41-match winning streak, included three grand slam titles and saw him knock Rafa Nadal off his perch ended in tame fashion for a "drained" Novak Djokovic when he made an early exit from the ATP World Tour Finals, on Friday.
'I feel quite embarrassed as an Australian athlete that's seen what this guy has done for us and the sport'
Andy Murray ran and ran until the skin on his feet came off and still it was not quite enough. The Briton's hopes of winning his second successive Grand Slam title were ended by the resilience and defensive brilliance of world number one Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final.
World number three Novak Djokovic reached his first final of the season when he beat third-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 at the Dubai Championships on Friday. The Serb will face fourth seed David Ferrer after the Spaniard overwhelmed Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-2.
A furious Djokovic went on to smash his racket three times on the court and was met with a chorus of boos from the spectators.
Novak Djokovic still feels inspired by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the men's world number one tennis player has said, adding that the rivalry between the so-called 'Big Three' is a great promotion for the sport.
Top seed and reigning champion Novak Djokovic pulled off the great escape at Wimbledon in beating South African Kevin Anderson 6-7(6), 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 to reach his 25th successive grand slam quarter-final.
World number one Novak Djokovic had to work hard for a three-set victory over Hungarian Marton Fucsovics at the Paris Masters on Tuesday in his first match since losing the U.S. Open final in September.
The setback was a third straight loss for the 30-year-old Serb, who is trying to make a comeback after an elbow injury sidelined him for the final six months of last year.
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his maiden tour title after beating top seed Novak Djokovic 7-6, 6-4 at the Thailand Open.
Novak Djokovic's muted celebrations after ending Rafa Nadal's reign as claycourt king were partly out of respect for his Spanish victim but mainly due to the fact the his French Open mission is far from accomplished.
A relentless Novak Djokovic shrugged off Juan Martin Del Potro while Andy Murray overcame a nasty ankle injury as the second and fourth seeds joined champion Rafa Nadal in the French Open fourth round on Saturday.
Novak Djokovic won the battle of the former world number ones by subduing Roger Federer 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in an entertaining encounter to reach the Paris Masters final on Saturday.
The Australian Open champion beat Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in his opening match at the US Open.
Novak Djokovic will contest his 23rd consecutive grand slam quarter-final after easing past Luxembourg journeyman Gilles Muller 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 at the Australian Open on Monday.
Novak Djokovic trounced fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 6-1, 6-4 in the Dubai Championships first round on Tuesday as the world number one extended his unbeaten run to 14 matches.
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