Novak Djokovic will be hoping that this Australian Open can prove to be the most significant of his entire career.
After all, any Grand Slam title he wins from here on out would represent his record-breaking 25th, thus setting him apart from Margaret Court as the undeniable greatest tennis player of all time.
The Serbian superstar has been striving for this goal for years now, but with the emergence of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the likelihood of him achieving it seems to be dwindling.
And, this pursuit is not helped by his own diminishing physicality, with the 39-year-old having had to pull out from a tournament in Adelaide ahead of the Australian Open.
He has now explained exactly why.
Novak Djokovic delivers a fitness update ahead of the Australian Open
Asked for a fitness update by reporters, almost as soon as he sat down at his first press conference of the tournament, he sought to offer some context before getting into the details.
Djokovic claimed: “You know, I ended the season in the first week of November, so it’s been a while since I’ve played any competition and any official tournament.
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“And you know, I took some time off and obviously took more time to rebuild my body because, I understand that in the last couple of years, that’s what changed the most for me, is it takes more time to rebuild, and it also takes more time to reset or recover.
“So unfortunately, I had a little setback that prevented me to compete at the Adelaide tournament. That’s why I didn’t go there. Physically, but, you know, it’s been going on very well so far here, you know, obviously, every day there’s something here and there for me, and I guess for each one of us, but generally, I feel good and look forward to competing.”
Djokovic was told he could have a debilitating issue ahead of the Australian Open by Danielle Collins, and it seems her fears have been somewhat confirmed.
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Djokovic reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in 2025, yet fell short at that stage on every occasion.
In Melbourne, he was forced to retire against Alexander Zverev, before Alcaraz and Sinner took it in turns to once again ruin his chances of creating history.
| Event | Year | Round reached | Opponent |
| US Open | 2025 | Semi-final | Carlos Alcaraz |
| Wimbledon | 2025 | Semi-final | Jannik Sinner |
| French Open | 2025 | Semi-final | Jannik Sinner |
| Australian Open | 2025 | Semi-final | Alexander Zverev |
| US Open | 2024 | Third Round | Alexei Popyrin |
He will naturally return to Australia full of confidence in himself, but even at full fitness, the likelihood of his success is slim.
To claim that ultimate prize, Djokovic knows he will have to go through the top two-ranked players in the world, given nobody else seems capable of beating them. Even at full fitness, few would expect him to manage that.
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However, returning to Melbourne with this ‘setback’ that he speaks of makes it really hard to meaningfully support the suggestion that he might win Grand Slam number 25 in Australia.
To discount one of the greatest of all time would be foolish, but the signs aren’t good for Djokovic.
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