MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 25: Roger Federer (R) of Switzerland congratulates Novak Djokovic of Serbia after the semi-final match on day twelve of the Australian Open 2008 at Melbourne Park on January 25, 2008 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic joined tennis’ elite group of Grand Slam winners after winning the 2008 Australian Open.
The first of the Serbian 24 majors came at Melbourne Park 16 years ago and it would not take long before he became a dominant force in the men’s game.
In the 2000s there was no player who had a hold over the men’s game quite like Roger Federer, who won the majority of his Grand Slam during this decade.
But as the decade came to an end, the likes of Djokovic and of course Rafael Nadal started to make more of an impression, Federer began to find life on tour more challenging.
What did Novak Djokovic say about Roger Federer’s dominance after the 2008 Australian Open?
Novak Djokovic defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets to win the 2008 Australian Open.
But to reach the final, he had to defeat the Swiss Maestro in the semi-finals, which he did by claiming a 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(5) victory. This was Federer’s first Grand Slam loss since the 2007 French Open final to Nadal.
After claiming his first Grand Slam title and beating Federer, Djokovic was asked if his dominance in the game was over, and Djokovic’s answer was emphatic.
“No, I don’t think so, no. I mean, it’s not possible that only one tournament is changing the history. Of course, I mean, I played amazing tennis here, so I think I absolutely deserved to win, even against him in the semifinals.
“You know, he accepted in the right way. Sure, he’s gonna come back in a big style, of course. He’s still planning to be the best player in the world, so we all know how good he is. We gonna see a lot of him, of course, this year.”
Roger Federer continued his success after the 2008 Australian Open
While he was no longer as dominant in previous years, Federer continued to enjoy some success into the 2010s and his thirties.
Despite his loss to Djokovic in Australia and two crushing defeats to Nadal at the French Open and Wimbledon, Federer claimed his fifth successive and final US Open title.
He reached every major final in 2009, and won at the French Open for the first time, and claimed a sixth Wimbledon crown.
Federer’s fourth Australian open title came in 2010, before adding a seventh Wimbledon title in 2012, beating Djokovic and Murray in successive matches.
Federer went nearly five years without a grand Slam title before a monumental run to the Australian Open title in 2017, before winning an eighth Wimbledon crown later that year.
Federer’s last Grand Slam title came at the 2018 Australian Open, and he remained competitive at majors until the 2020 Australian Open, where she reached the semi-finals.
