SYDNEY: Novak Djokovic returns to Melbourne Park to try to turn back the seemingly inexorable tide of the ‘Sincaraz’ era and achieve an Australian Open triumph that would make him the most successful Grand Slam champion of all time.
The Serbian clinched his 24th major title at the US Open in late 2023, but Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have since dominated Grand Slam tournaments with fast-paced tennis that knocked their rivals off the court.
Djokovic, who turns 39 in May, is not oblivious to the physical toll two decades on tour have had on his body, but only the most reckless observer has ever ruled out one of the most mentally strong players to play the game.
However, to break out of a tie with Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam singles titles in the Australian’s own backyard, he will likely have to beat one or both of the ‘New Twos’ at the end of the tournament.
Last year, the last survivor of the “Big Three” beat Alcaraz in the quarter-finals before dropping out in his semi-final against Alex Zverev due to a torn hamstring.
He reached the semifinals of all four majors in 2025, losing to Sinner in Paris and Wimbledon, as well as to Alcaraz in New York.
“I’ve lost three out of four tournaments in the semifinals to these guys, so they’re just too good and playing at a very high level,” he said after his loss at Flushing Meadows. “Best of five makes it very, very difficult for me to play them. Especially if it’s like the final stages of a Grand Slam.”
Djokovic withdrew from the warm-up tournament in Adelaide in January, but Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley moved quickly to allay any questions about the 38-year-old’s coming to Melbourne.
“He will be there to play 100 percent,” Tiley said this weekend. “Out of an abundance of caution, he just wanted to make sure he was 100% ready. He’s won this event 10 times. He wants to go for that record, and this is where he has the best chance of doing it.”
Indeed, Tiley said, it was very unlikely that this would be Djokovic’s last Australian Open, which fits with the player’s ambition to defend his Olympic title in Los Angeles in 2028.
Djokovic’s battered body may have other plans, however, and his chances of going deep will likely depend on his health during the second week at Melbourne Park.
He won the ATP titles in Geneva and Athens last year to take his tally to 101, but his best efforts at longer Masters events were a final in Miami and a semi-final in Shanghai.
It will be his 21st appearance in the main draw of the Australian Open, a series that began as a qualifier in 2005 when he was beaten by future champion Marat Safin.
Melbourne’s large fan base of Serbian descent will provide him with plenty of support at a tournament where he has otherwise been more admired than loved.
There is no doubt that he will remain one of the great champions of the tournament, especially since all 10 of his triumphs came during the era of the “Big Three”, when Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were also at their peak.
Published in Dawn, January 14, 2026
