Novak Djokovic has been the most successful at the Italian Open out of all clay court tournaments. Despite Rafael Nadal winning the tournament 10 times, Djokovic has remarkably managed to make a name for himself in the Spaniard’s era of clay dominance. Those 6 titles in Rome have resulted in the World No.1 earning an impressive $3.75 million in prize money.
Novak Djokovic was able to accomplish virtually one of the most impressive feats in tennis history – reach the same number of Italian Open finals as Rafael Nadal, which is 12. The Serb has a great opportunity to go past his biggest rival in this aspect in 2024.
Djokovic lifted his first title at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Italy in 2008. It happened to be his first final in Rome and he beat Stan Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. For that, the 24-time Grand Slam champion was awarded a little more than half a million dollars ($559,441 to be precise).
2011 was the year of Novak Djokovic. Even Rafael Nadal could not stop him in every final they played that year and it included the Italian Open one. That win fetched Djokovic a cool $616,606 in prize money.
Success in Rome hasn’t come easy for Novak Djokovic. But in 2014 and 2015, which were another 2 years of his peak, Djokovic managed to defend his title there and be the undisputed champion. Overcoming rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in both those finals respectively, he earned a cumulative $1.47 million.
While Novak Djokovic was consistent at the Italian Open, he was able to win his 5th title only in 2020. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the World No.1 could only take home $226,027 after getting past the now-retiring Argentine, Diego Schwartzman in the final.
When things got better in 2022, Novak Djokovic actually played well considering the external pressures he was in, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 7-6 in that year’s final to take home $882,296 in prize money.
Novak Djokovic Could Have a Similar Run in Rome in 2024 as in 2022
Novak Djokovic had one of the most dominant runs that the Italian Open ever witnessed. The Serb defeated several big names such as Aslan Karatsev, Stan Wawrinka, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas to lift the trophy. The fact that the then 34-year-old dropped no set throughout that week made the win much more impressive.
In the Italian Open 2024, Wawrinka, Auger-Aliassime, Ruud and Tsitsipas are all expected to play and some of them could again take on Djokovic in his pursuit to win the title for the 7th time. The latter two have won the Barcelona Open and Monte Carlo Masters this season. While Auger-Aliassime made it to the final recently in the Madrid Open 2024.
So Novak Djokovic might not have that easy a run at the Italian Open, despite being the top seed. In the past, Djokovic has reiterated the importance of the tournament in Rome in order to prepare for the French Open each season.
“I have been building my form for the past couple of weeks, and I knew that my best shape on clay usually comes around Rome time, so it could not be better going into Roland Garros with a title,” Djokovic said after his win in 2022, per Bleacher Report.
(Note: All prize money figures are taken from Perfect Tennis)
