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Novak Djokovic under best-of-three
The format's loudest advocate — and its single biggest loser
24actual titles
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16under best-of-three
-8
No one has argued harder for best-of-three at the majors than Novak Djokovic. It is a delicious irony, then, that no one in the modern era has more to lose from it. Djokovic's genius was partly physiological: the deeper a match went, the more certain his victory felt. Best-of-three deletes exactly that edge.
The verdict
Across 24 actual major titles, best-of-three would leave Novak Djokovic with 16. 8 would slip away — 7 where the run ends before the final, and 1 lost in the final itself.
Every title, year by year
082008 Australian OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
112011 Australian OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
112011 WimbledonTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
112011 US OpenKnocked out in the Semi-final by Roger Federer (6-7(7) 4-6 6-3 6-2 7-5) — the title vanishes.Lost
122012 Australian OpenKnocked out in the Semi-final by Andy Murray (6-3 3-6 6-7(4) 6-1 7-5) — the title vanishes.Lost
132013 Australian OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
142014 WimbledonKnocked out in the Quarter-final by Marin Cilic (6-1 3-6 6-7(4) 6-2 6-2) — the title vanishes.Lost
152015 Australian OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
152015 WimbledonKnocked out in the Round of 16 by Kevin Anderson (6-7(6) 6-7(6) 6-1 6-4 7-5) — the title vanishes.Lost
152015 US OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
162016 Australian OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
162016 French OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
182018 WimbledonTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
182018 US OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
192019 Australian OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
192019 WimbledonTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
202020 Australian OpenLoses the final to Dominic Thiem (6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4) — the title changes hands.Lost
212021 Australian OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
212021 French OpenKnocked out in the Round of 16 by Lorenzo Musetti (6-7(7) 6-7(2) 6-1 6-0 4-0 RET) — the title vanishes.Lost
212021 WimbledonTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
222022 WimbledonKnocked out in the Quarter-final by Jannik Sinner (5-7 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-2) — the title vanishes.Lost
232023 Australian OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
232023 French OpenTitle held — survives best-of-three.Kept
232023 US OpenKnocked out in the Round of 32 by Laslo Djere (4-6 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-3) — the title vanishes.Lost
Strip the extra sets and the most relentless five-set competitor of all time becomes mortal again — his record falls back into a three-way tie at the very top. The case for best-of-three has never had a more inconvenient poster boy.
Open Novak Djokovic's interactive dossier →Career grid, head-to-head under best-of-three, and the full title ledger.