Novak Djokovic Looks to Add to Legacy in Australian Open Men's Final
After breezing past David Ferrer in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, 6-1, Novak Djokovic is back in the Australian Open Final.
Djokovic needed five sets to knock out Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round and defeated Tomas Berdych in four sets in the quarterfinals, but Djokovic played his best tennis of the tournament against Ferrer in the semis, looking dominant in all phases of his game.
He will now take aim at his sixth career Grand Slam singles title as he awaits the winner of the other men's semifinal between Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
If Djokovic faces Federer, it would be their first meeting in a major final since the 2007 U.S. Open, where Federer won in straight sets. Djokovic's history with Murray is much more recent. They last faced each other just over four months ago in the 2012 U.S. Open final, where Murray outlasted him in five sets to win his first career Grand Slam title.
The current world No. 1 player will be making his 10th career appearance in a Grand Slam final and will be seeking his third consecutive Australian Open title.
Djokovic has an all-around tennis game that is best suited for the hard court but can also translate well to grass and clay. Along with his three Australian Open titles, Djokovic has won a title at both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon. He also achieved a mini-breakthrough in last year's French Open final against Rafael Nadal, playing valiantly in a four-set loss against the greatest clay court player of all time.
The Djoker's five Grand Slam titles do not exactly put him in the pantheon of all-time tennis greats along with the likes of Federer, Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Roy Emerson or Bjorn Borg; at age 25, however, he is just entering the prime of his career and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Every time Djokovic steps onto a tennis court, reaching that highest echelon of the all-time tennis greats has to be in the back of his mind somewhere. Tennis is about legacies, and those legacies are defined by winning Grand Slams.
Djokovic will have an opportunity to add to his on Sunday.
