Novak Djokovic returns to Melbourne Park knowing he will have to overcome the “Sincaraz” era that is redefining men’s tennis if he is to become the most successful Grand Slam champion of all time.
The Serb clinched his 24th and last major at the 2023 US Open. Since then, the Grand Slams have been the private plaything of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have dominated with a brand of fast-paced tennis that has blown their rivals off the court.
Djokovic, 38, is not immune to the physical toll two decades on the tour has taken on his body, but only the most foolhardy observer has ever written off one of the mentally toughest players to play the game.
Currently tied with Margaret Court for most Grand Slam titles, Djokovic knows he will have to beat one or both of the "New Two" at the business end of the tournament.
In the previous season, the last survivor of the "Big Three" beat Alcaraz in the quarter-finals only to retire from his semi-final against Alex Zverev with a hamstring tear.
He reached the semi-finals of all four majors in 2025, losing to Sinner in Paris and at Wimbledon, as well as Alcaraz in New York.
"I lost three out of four slams in semis against these guys, so they're just too good, playing on a really high level," he said after his loss at Flushing Meadows. "Best-of-five makes it very, very difficult for me to play them. Particularly if it's like the end stages of a Grand Slam."
Djokovic pulled out of the warm-up tournament in Adelaide, but Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley moved quickly to douse any question over the Serb turning up in Melbourne.
"He'll be here to play 100 per cent," Tiley said at the weekend.
"Just out of the abundance of caution, he just wanted to make sure he's 100 per cent ready. He's won this event 10 times. He wants to go for that record, and this is the place that he has the best chance of doing it."
Djokovic said at last month’s World Sports Summit in Dubai that he had no plans to hang up his racquet and was targeting the defence of his gold medal at the 2028 LA Olympics.
“I do want to keep on going,” Djokovic told the Summit. “The LA Olympics 2028 is kind of a guiding star, but honestly, there is no limit. So, let's see. You know what I mean? Let's just keep going.
“People love to talk and speculate about retirement, because, OK, people love to talk. But at the end of the day, I feel like I'm still contributing to the growth of tennis. That is a beautiful job.”
Despite that bullish spirit, Djokovic's battered body might have other plans, though, and his chances of going deep will rely on him staying healthy into the second week at Melbourne Park.
He managed ATP titles in Geneva and Athens last year to take his tally to 101 but his best efforts at the longer Masters events were a Miami final and a semi in Shanghai.
It will be his 21st appearance in the main draw at the Australian Open, a run that started as a qualifier in 2005 when he was thumped by eventual champion Marat Safin.
Sinner targets 'three-peat'
Sinner, meanwhile, returns to Melbourne looking to become the first men’s player since Djokovic to ‘three-peat’ at the year’s first Grand Slam.
The 24-year-old Italian arrives under vastly different circumstances from 12 months ago when his successful title defence was partly overshadowed by a doping controversy which saw him serve a three-month ban.
With that storm behind him, Sinner steps onto the blue courts unencumbered and with his focus sharpened after an outstanding 2025 in which he was only seriously challenged by world No 1 Alcaraz.
"I feel to be a better player than last year," Sinner said after beating Alcaraz to win the season-ending ATP Finals with his 58th match victory of a curtailed campaign.
"Honestly, amazing season. Many, many wins, and not many losses. All the losses I had, I tried to see the positive things and tried to evolve as a player.
"I felt like this happened in a very good way."
Sinner now sets his sights on a third straight Melbourne crown – a feat last achieved in the men's game during the second of Djokovic's "three-peats" from 2019 to 2021 – and few would bet against him pushing his overall major tally to five.
