Sinner will believe he can pull off mission impossible

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.

- Matt Majendie

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?