There will come a time at a Grand Slam when the question is not asked whether the rest of the field can topple Novak Djokovic.
Three out of four times last season, his peers tried and failed, Carlos Alcaraz needing a performance freakishly good to get the deed done at Wimbledon, the one major blot on Djokovic’s otherwise perfect season.
At no Grand Slam has his dominance been more notable than at the Australian Open. Of the last 12 times he has played at the event, he has won it nine times and 10 times in total.
This year, the draw comes with a mouth-watering prospect of him potentially facing his old adversity in Andy Murray in the third round. But Murray was hardly putting out a rallying cry, with his response to the draw being that he hoped to make it that far.
The chance to see them duelling once more — as they have done at five Australian Open finals, all ending in Djokovic’s favour — would be a timely trip down memory lane, even if the result might seem somewhat predictable.
So, the inevitable question arises once more of who can defeat a 36-year-old whose dominance currently shows few signs of waning?
Jannik Sinner will have the belief he can do so, having beaten the Serb at both the ATP Finals and again in the Davis Cup — and yet the indoor courts at both events were more to the Italian’s liking than outdoors in Melbourne.
Bar exhibition matches, Alcaraz has not played competitively since those ATP Finals but seems to peak at the right time for the slams, while Daniil Medvedev has the mental boost, like Alcaraz, of having beaten Djokovic in a Grand Slam final.
Quite what to expect from the Brits is unclear. Of the seven in the field — new GB convert Oliver Crawford came up short in the final round of qualifying — most have a relatively kind draw.
Murray is the only one drawn against a seed, in his case No30 Tomas Martin Etcheverry, a match that he will still think is imminently winnable. A run to the third round would be a good start to what may yet prove his last season on tour.
The main talking point from a British perspective has been the fitness of Emma Raducanu. After such a bright start in her opening two matches in Auckland, she pulled out of two exhibition appearances.
Inevitably with the injury setbacks of last season and having just returned from triple surgery, there were concerns about her match fitness. But lengthy practice sessions seemingly without discomfort appear to have dispelled any potential fears.
What level is Raducanu at currently? It is hard to fully assess from such little playing time but her occasional practice partner in Australia, Katie Boulter, said: “To come back with that level already is inspirational for me. I’m expecting big things.”
Elina Svitolina, who Raducanu pushed to three sets in Auckland, was similarly effusive.
Raducanu’s quest begins against experienced American Shelby Rogers, a former Grand Slam quarter-finalist but, like her opponent, plotting her own return from injury.
Of the rest of the Brits, Boulter’s confidence is sky high after an excellent 2023, while Jodie Burrage will be attempting to make the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
Dan Evans showed signs of promise on his return from a calf injury in Adelaide this week, while Cameron Norrie raised alarm bells when he pulled out in Auckland citing a wrist injury. The withdrawal, he insisted, was precautionary rather than anything of great concern.
Raducanu aside, in the women’s singles there is a sense of return, with former champions Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki back at the event after both became parents.
But it is hard to look much beyond the top four in the women’s game for the winner: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff. That said, it does not come with quite the inevitability of the men’s side and Djokovic.
