You have to go all the way back to the 2009 French Open to find the last Grand Slam quarterfinal that didn’t include Novak Djokovic. With a win in his extended fourth-round match against Kevin Anderson, the world No. 1 moves his major quarterfinal streak to a staggering 25 Slams, which is 11 ahead of his closet historical competitor. FTW takes a closer look at Novak’s run.
1. It dates through six full years of Grand Slams.
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The streak started at Wimbledon in 2009, the year Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick in that epic, break-free, 16-14 final. Djokovic defeated unranked Dudi Sela to start the streak, but lost in the quarters to Tommy Haas, who even then was an old man of 31.
2. Djokovic had a good partner is missing the quarters at that 2009 French Open.
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2009 was the year Rafael Nadal, after having started his career 31-0 at Roland Garros, lost his fourth-round match to Robin Soderling in what is still considered one of the great upsets in history. So without two of the Big Three, what did that quarterfinal field look like? Federer, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Nikolay Davydenko, Gael Monfils, Fernando Gonzalez, Robin Soderling and Tommy Robredo. Hardly a murderer’s row.
3. Djokovic is more likely to make the final than be ousted before it.
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He’s 20-4 in quarterfinals during the streak and 14-6 in semifinals. That’s 14 appearances in the final against 10 exits before it. But once he gets to the final, Djokovic’s record is a pedestrian 7-7. Not to negate the impressiveness of seven wins, but those seven losses surely sting and stay with him.
4. The closest historical competitor to Djokovic was three full years of Slams behind the world No. 1.
Ivan Lendl, years removed from his coaching days. (Getty Images)
After Djokovic at 25, it’s Ivan Lendl (14), Rafael Nadal (11), Pete Sampras and David Ferrer (10), and Andy Murray (nine, twice). That means Djokovic’s streak is bigger than the next two men, combined. Of course, Djokovic isn’t No. 1 in this category.
5. Roger Federer is the all-time leader in consecutive QFs with 36 straight Grand Slam quarterfinals.
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In the nine-year stretch from 2004 Wimbledon to the 2013 French Open, Federer didn’t get ousted before the quarters at any tournament. His QF/SF/F/W numbers: 5/9/7/15. If you go back to his first 24 matches in the streak (remember, Djokovic was at 4/6/7/7), Federer was at 1 QF, 3 SF, 6 F and 14 Ws. So just a little bit better than Djokovic.
But if you combine the record of the two, you have to go back 45 Grand Slams, all the way back to that French Open in 2004, to find a Slam quarterfinal without Federer or Djokovic.
6. To break Federer’s record, Djokovic would have to make it to the quarters of every Grand Slam until Wimbledon … in 2018.
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That’s a long, long time from now, especially considering that Djokovic not only needs to stay at a high level (he’ll be 31 then; Federer lost his streak at the same age) but continue to stay healthy too.
7. Federer and Djokovic are also No. 1 and No. 2 in most consecutive Slam semifinals.
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Neither streak is active, of course. Federer leads with 23 straight, snapped in 2010 at the French Open, while Djokovic’s streak of 14 was snapped at last year’s Australian Open when he lost to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka. The pair are also tied for most consecutive matches won at a major with 27 each (Federer has done it twice).
