Novak Djokovic kicked off his 2026 season with a remarkable run in Australia, proving he is still more than capable of competing for the biggest prizes in tennis.
Djokovic reached the final of the Australian Open, beating and dethroning last year’s champion Jannik Sinner en route.
The Serb’s pursuit of major number 25 came to an end in the title bout when faced with world number one Carlos Alcaraz, however.
Will Carlos Alcaraz win the Calendar Slam in 2026?
If not, which Grand Slam is he going to fail to win?
With his maiden triumph at Melbourne Park, Alcaraz became the youngest player ever to complete the Career Grand Slam.
For Djokovic, his next chance at extending his major record will come at Roland Garros in May, but former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski suggested he might not make an appearance in Paris.
Greg Rusedski reacts to Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open run
Speaking in an episode of ‘Off Court with Greg’, Rusedski said:”If you’re a Djokovic fan there’s hope. He’s improved his game.
“His serve needed to be slightly better today, even though he served very well. The forehand is definitely better.
“Sometimes the volley selection… he always likes to go cross-court with that backhand volley instead of punching it up the line.
Are you more or less confident that Novak Djokovic can win his 25th Grand Slam now?
“These are small margins, and because of Carlos athleticism, he’s by far the best athlete in tennis at the moment, the fastest, the quickest, the strongest.
“And those little things made the difference, and Carlos never panicked out there. He stayed calm, he found solutions.
“So history made from Carlos Alcaraz today, but Djokovic fans, there’s a lot of hope. Imagine if he plays this well at Wimbledon. He has a real shot for the title.
“French Open, I kind of feel like it’s out of his grasp just because of the physicality, but for all those Djokovic fans, what two weeks it has been.
“He’s beaten Sinner, hasn’t been able to do them back to back. And he shows on any given day at a Slam, he can be one of the two guys.
“The problem is beating them back to back and that’s still the conundrum that’s difficult to solve when you’re 38 and the body doesn’t bounce back like we saw with Carlos today being so young. He was like an elastic. He was back in there physically.
“The thing I am wondering is, is Djokovic going to skip the French Open and just play Wimbledon this year. I would not be surprised if he did that.”
Novak Djokovic could emulate Roger Federer’s method late on in his career
In the latter stages of his career, Djokovic’s longtime rival, Roger Federer, decided to start skipping the clay season altogether.
During his 2017 and 2018 campaigns, Federer did not feature in Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome or Roland Garros.
The Swiss explained that missing out on the clay swing was key to his longevity, as playing just one event on the surface was not in the best interest of his physical preparation for the rest of the season.
His decision ultimately paid dividends in 2017, with Federer going on to hoist his eighth Wimbledon title that year.
Djokovic, aged 38, could take a leaf from his former rival’s book and miss out on Roland Garros and its tune-up tournaments in order to protect his body.
Of course, should this be his last year in the tour, Djokovic will want to have one last crack at the French Open, where he is a three time champion.
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