"Physically, unfortunately, I am not fully ready," Djokovic announced on his personal page regarding his absence from Adelaide this week. "I won in Adelaide three years ago and I am always excited to return there. Currently, I am focused on the Australian Open and hope to be in Melbourne soon."

Djokovic celebrates a victory at the ATP 250 tournament in Athens, Greece, in 11/2025. Photo: Reuters

Djokovic typically plays at least one tournament to prepare for the first Grand Slam of the year, where he holds a record of 10 titles. This marks a rare occasion for the Serbian player to fly directly to Melbourne without a warm-up tournament. The main draw of the Australian Open will commence on 18/1, with Djokovic seeded number 4.

Djokovic sustained a shoulder injury at the Athens Open late last year, leading to his withdrawal from the ATP Finals afterward. However, this was considered a minor injury and a pretext for the 38-year-old player to withdraw from the year's final major tournament. It is currently unclear if Nole has sustained any injuries during his training for the new season.

Djokovic is aiming for his 25th Grand Slam title, but this task is becoming increasingly difficult due to fitness issues and the brilliant form of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Djokovic often struggled physically in five-set matches against these opponents in the four Grand Slams last season.

Amidst escalating competition, the Australian Open is considered the ideal venue for Nole to secure another Grand Slam. On this court, he was once "unbeatable", achieving two hat-tricks of titles. Last season, he performed excellently, defeating Tomas Machac, Jiri Lehecka, and overcoming Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals against Alexander Zverev, Djokovic also played well before having to retire due to injury.

"This is a genuine concern," said former world number one Andy Roddick regarding Djokovic's physical condition heading into 2026. "At this age, recovery is very difficult. If he is no longer fast and strong enough, Djokovic will find it almost impossible to defeat Alcaraz and Sinner. Other younger players will also challenge him with their superior physical conditioning."

Djokovic has significantly reduced his playing schedule in recent years. However, his physical condition has not improved as a result. Sports health expert Stephen Smith suggests that infrequent competition has been detrimental to Djokovic.

"A player with extensive rest periods also finds it difficult to regain real match intensity," he told Tennis365 about Djokovic's situation. "Everyone says Djokovic has too much experience and will easily cope. That is true but insufficient. Not maintaining activity intensity causes significant damage to the body. Slower recovery, or even difficulty recovering, is the most negative impact when the body rests too much."

This year's Australian Open men's and women's singles champions will receive 3,5 million USD, while the runners-up will get 1,9 million USD. The total prize money has increased by 12% compared to last year's tournament.

Vy Anh