Novak Djokovic achieves stunning feat before the Australian Open despite not playing

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Novak Djokovic has been absent from the ATP Tour at the start of the season, having withdrawn from the Adelaide International.

Djokovic decided against playing in Adelaide to start his 2026 campaign, instead returning at the Australian Open.

His absence, along with that of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, has allowed others to step up on the ATP Tour.

Daniil Medvedev won the Brisbane International, while Alexander Bublik has emerged victorious in Hong Kong.

Novak Djokovic spends 1,000 consecutive weeks in ATP top 40

Despite his absence, Djokovic has just achieved a stunning feat, having now spent 1,000 consecutive weeks in the ATP top 40.

It’s a remarkable achievement from the Serbian veteran, whose confidence will now have been boosted ahead of the Australian Open.

Having once climbed as high as world number one, Djokovic is fourth in the ATP rankings, behind Alcaraz, Sinner and Alexander Zverev.

Importantly, even with the 38-year-old not getting any younger, it will be some time before he drops out of the top 40.

Can Novak Djokovic win the Australian Open?

Realistically, while Djokovic will welcome such a fine achievement, all of his focus will instead be on Australian Open success.

He has been prioritising another Grand Slam title for some time now, typified by his decision to withdraw from Adelaide.

And there is certainly no shame whatsoever in such an approach, with the legend having earned the right to do whatever he pleases at this stage of his career.

But even with the perfect preparation, winning a record 25th Grand Slam is set to be an extremely difficult achievement.

Along with fitness worries in best-of-five set matches, he will likely come up against either Sinner or Alcaraz in the latter stages.

But a one-off shock may be all that is required to lift the trophy, with Djokovic having previously proven that he can get the better of the two superstars.

He has a 5-4 win-loss record against Alcaraz and a 4-6 record against Sinner, and importantly has more Australian Open titles than any other man.