Novak Djokovic is back in Melbourne and ready to get his 21st Australian Open campaign underway.
The Serb, who reached the semifinals Down Under last year, has yet to add to his major tally since clinching the 2023 US Open, but he remains in pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic was forced to retire from the Australian Open in 2025 due to an injury he sustained during his final four clash with Alexander Zverev.
How far do you think Novak Djokovic will go at the Australian Open?
At Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and the US Open, however, he was beaten in the semifinals by one of the ‘new two’: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz and Sinner, ranked first and second in the world respectively, have dominated the Grand Slam scene for the past two years, having split all four trophies between them in 2024 and 2025.
Ahead of his run at Melbourne Park, Djokovic said there is one thing missing from his game that is preventing him from competing with the Spaniard and the Italian.
Novak Djokovic discusses Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
“I don’t know what the others are missing, to be honest,” said the 38-year-old in his pre-tournament press conference when asked how the rest of the tour can close the gap on Alcaraz and Sinner.
“I can speak on my own behalf. I’m missing a little bit of juice in my legs, to be honest, to be able to compete with these guys at the later stages of a Grand Slam.
“But I’m definitely giving my best as I have in ’25, and I think I have done very well and challenged them on their route to the title.
- Roland Garros: Djokovic lost to Sinner in the semifinals – 6-4, 7-5, 7-6.
- Wimbledon: Djokovic lost to Sinner in the semifinals – 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
- US Open: Djokovic lost to Alcaraz in the semifinals – 6-4, 7-6, 6-2.
“I lost, yeah, three out of four slams against either Sinner or Alcaraz. We don’t need to praise them too much. They have been praised enough (smiling).
Carlos Alcaraz would be the greatest youngster ever if he won the 2026 Australian Open – change my mind…
“We know how good they are, and they absolutely deserve to be where they are. They are the dominant forces of the men’s tennis at the moment.
“I’m still trying to be in the mix. Not rankings-wise, being No. 4 without really being focused on that, is also great, but you know, obviously I’m grateful to have the better ranking so that I could have eventually better draws in, you know, the first several rounds.
“That doesn’t affect the way I approach slam. You know, I know that my priority is really taking care of my body and trying to of course treat every match like it’s finals, but at the same time, build momentum and also not spend unnecessary energy, you know, and hopefully I can go far again and get a chance to play them.
“I mean, I would love to. I would love to have a chance to fight with one of those or maybe both of these guys here. Let’s see. Let’s see if that happens.”
Novak Djokovic’s first opponent at the Australian Open
After Djokovic withdrew from the Adelaide International, his first match of the 2026 season will be played at the Australian Open.
In his first-round match at the major, Djokovic will face Pedro Martinez, whom he has never met at a tour-level event.
The Spaniard, ranked 71st in the world currently, has enjoyed a perfect start to the year by winning a title at Challenger level in Bengaluru.
Should Djokovic advance past Martinez, he will play either Francesco Maestrelli or Cincinnati Open semifinalist Terence Atmane.
Djokovic is seeded fourth at this year’s Australian Open and is on the same half of the draw as Sinner.
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