Love for Paris

Only Australian Rod Laver has managed to win all four Grand Slams in one year and Djokovic would have to break his Roland Garros (French Open) duck to match the feat and make more history.

He said he thought he was getting closer to winning the French Open title every time he played the clay-court Grand Slam but had learned not to think too far ahead.

“(I’m) very hungry (for Paris),” he concluded. “But the wolf needs to eat a lot of different meals to get to Paris. Paris is a dessert.” 

“Every grand slam title is very significant in its own way,” Djokovic said. “Here, I managed to make history tonight and equal Roy Emerson’s six Australian Open titles. 

“I’m honored to be mentioned alongside legends of our sport.” 

While Emerson’s triumphs came in the pre-professional era of the 1960s when few players from the rest of the world made the long journey Down Under, Djokovic’s dominance is international.

He won 11 titles including three of the four majors last year and already has a 12-0 record this season, having thrashed the other members of the “Big Four” -- Rafa Nadal, Federer and Murray -- to win in Doha.

It was Emerson’s Australian championship record of six that Djokovic equalled on Sunday night, in his 17th consecutive tour final, to claim a third successive major and sixth out of the past 10. Last year’s loss to Stan Wawrinka at the French Open was a rare blemish indeed.

Djokovic said he was “ex- tremely honoured to be mentioned alongside legends of tennis”, such as Rod Laver, who sat in the front row of the Melbourne Court named after him, while acknowledging the absent Emerson. “It’s a great privilege to match your record of six Australian Opens as one of the greatest players to ever play this game, so I want to wish him all the best.”

The Serbian’s fifth crown in six years on his favorite court not only allowed him to match Roy Emerson’s record Australian Open tally but also brought him level with Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on 11 grand slam titles. 

He has won four of the last five slams, 38 of his last 39 matches, and at this rate Roger Federer’s record 17 is within range of the 28-year-old. “There’s no doubt I’m playing the best tennis of my life over the last 15 months,” the 28-year-old, who topped the ATP rankings for the whole of 2015, said. 

“I do feel that I’m at the peak of my abilities and my career. I don’t think about limiting my ambitions or what I might be able to achieve.”

Roger Federer - 17 

Pete Sampras - 14 

Rafael Nadal - 14 

Roy Emerson - 12 

Rod Laver - 11

Bjorn Borg - 11

Novak Djokovic - 11 

Bill Tilden - 10