Records could fall at the Australian Open 

The Australian Open, which got underway yesterday – Sunday, Jan. 14 – and runs through Jan. 28, has many records at stake for key players: 

Novak Djokovic:  

• Djokovic could extend his record for the most Australian Open championship wins (male) in the Open Era, (which began in 1968 when professional players were first admitted to the Australian, French and U.S. Opens along with Wimbledon, the four Grand Slam events). He has won 10 times, and this would be his 11th men’s singles title at the Australian Open. 
• If he wins, Djokovic could tie Margaret Court’s record for the most Australian Open singles titles (male or female). 
• He could become the first player (male or female) to win 25 singles Grand Slam titles if he wins his 25th trophy at the Australian Open, which would also break his current tie with Court, who also won 24 singles titles. 
• Djokovic could increase his record for the most appearances in the Australian Open men’s singles finals in the Open Era, which would be 11. 
• He could also increase his winning percentage for men’s singles matches at the Australian Open. He already holds the record for the highest winning percentage for men’s singles matches in the Open Era with 91.8%, being one of only three players to cross the 90% threshold. (The other two are Jimmy Connors, 91.7%; and Andre Agassi, 90.6%.) 
• Djokovic could break Roger Federer’s record and become the second oldest Australian Open men’s singles winner, second oldest male player to win a Grand Slam and second oldest player (male or female) to win a Grand Slam, with Ken Rosewall being the oldest winner at 37 years old (also winning Australian Open in 1972). At the time of his last win in 2018, Federer was 36 years and 5 months old, and Djokovic will be 36 years and 8 months old at the time of the Australian Open finals. (This applies to the Open Era.)  
• Djokovic could break another record held by Federer and Rosewall — winning the Australian Open men’s singles finals in the Open Era without dropping a set. Federer did so in 2007 and Rosewall in 1971. 
• Djokovic could come closer to breaking Federer’s record for the most appearances in the men’s singles matches at the Australian Open in the Open Era, and he could also cross the milestone of 100 matches played at the Australian Open, depending on how far he gets. Djokovic has played 97 singles matches at Australian Open; Federer, 117. 
• He could also come closer to breaking Federer’s record for the most winning appearances in men’s singles matches at the Australian Open, depending on how far he gets. Federer won 102 matches; Djokovic, so far, 89. 
• And Djokovic could come closer to breaking Federer’s record for the most Grand Slam appearances on hard courts in the Open Era, and he could also become only the second player to cross the 200 appearances-on-hard-court threshold, depending on how far he gets. Thus far, Djokovic has made 198 hard-court Grand Slam appearances; Federer, 221. 
• Djokovic could extend his record for the most wins against top 10-ranked ATP players. He has won 69 times since the start of the ATP’s ranking system in 1973. 
• On the contrary, 2024 could mark the first year where Djokovic reaches the final of the Australian Open and does not win. And if he loses in the first round, that would make him only the second top-seeded player to do so after Lleyton Hewitt, who lost in the first round in 2002. 

Carlos Alcaraz  

• Alcaraz could become only the fourth player in the Open Era to win the men’s singles Australian Open title before turning 21, (with the other 3 being Djokovic, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg). 
• If he wins the Australian Open title, Alcaraz would become only the fourth player in the Open Era to win three Grand Slam titles before turning 21, (with the other three being Wilander, Rafael Nadal and Björn Borg). 
• Alcaraz could become only the second player to win five Grand Slam matches against top five-ranked players before turning 21. The first one to do so was Wilander. 

Jannik Sinner  

• Sinner could become the second Italian male player to win a Grand Slam championship in the Open Era after Adriano Panatta, who won the French Open in 1976, and the fourth player (male or female) overall. Francesca Schiavone won the French Open in 2010 and Flavia Pennetta won the US Open in 2015. 
• Sinner could become the first Italian player to reach a Grand Slam singles finals on a hard court in the Open Era. 

Holger Run 

• Rune could become the first Scandinavian to reach the Grand Slam semifinals or finals before turning 21 since Edberg did so in 1987, when he won the Australian Open. 

Dominic Thiem  

• Thiem could become the first player born after 1990 to win 10-plus Grand Slam matches against top 10-ranked players. 

Daniil Medvedev  

• Medvedev could become the first player born after 1990 to win 10-plus Grand Slam matches against top 10-ranked players. 

General 

• This year could be the first year in which a wild card, qualifier or a lucky loser reaches the men’s singles finals, which has never happened in the Open Era. Bob Giltinan (1977) and, more recently, Aslan Karatsev (2021) have both reached the semifinals as qualifiers, which is the furthest anyone has gotten. 
• Since 2006, only one player outside of the Big Three (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic) has managed to win the Australian Open championship – Stan Wawrinka in 2014, so 2024 could be a second time and a first occurrence in 10 years. 
• If both Alcaraz and Rune manage to reach the semifinals, it would mark the first time in the Open Era in which two players under 21 reached the semifinals at two consecutive Grand Slam Championships. Alcaraz and Ben Shelton reached the US Open semifinals in 2023.  

Iga Swiatek  

• Swiatek could extend her ongoing streak of 35 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA)-level tournaments without losing the opening match. On the other hand, Swiatek could become only the second number one-seeded female player to lose the opening round of the Australian Open women’s singles. Virginia Ruzici last did so in 1979. 
• If she wins the championship, Swiatek could win five out of the first 16 Grand Slam women’s singles titles in the 2020s, which would put her in the company of Serena Williams, who managed to achieve the same feat in both 2000s (five wins) and 2010s (six wins). 

Aryna Sabalenka 

• Sabalenka could become the first player in more than 10 years to defend her Australian Open title in the women’s singles matches. The last player to win back to back was Victoria Azarenka, who won in 2012 and 2013. (Sabalenka would also join Azarenka as the only female player in the Open Era to win her first two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open.) 
• Sabalenka could also become only the second defending champion to lose the opening round of the Australian Open women’s singles in the Open Era. The first one to do so was Jennifer Capriati in 2003, 

Coco Gauff 

• Gauff could become the first teenager to reach the Australian Open women’s singles finals since Maria Sharapovova in 2007 and the first one to win since Martina Hingis in 1999. 
• Gauff, who won the US Open women’s singles title last year, could become the first teenager to win back-to-back Grand Slam titles since Martina Hingis did so in 1997 and 1998 (winning the US and Australian Opens, respectively).  

General 

• This year could mark the first in the Open Era in which a wild card or a qualifier player wins the Australian Open women’s singles title. The best results thus far have been of Justine Henin, who reached the final in 2010, and Christine Dorey. who reached the semifinals in 1978. (Since Caroline Wozniacki is a wild card, it could also mark the first time in history that a former number one WTA-ranked player won the women’s singles at the Australian Open after entering as a wild card.) 
• This year could also mark a second occurrence of five different players winning consecutive Australian Open women’s singles titles in the Open Era. The last four winners of the Australian Open have been different, which repeats a six-year long run of different winners between 1977 and 1981.