“The stars are aligning for him,” Former Australian tennis star predicts Novak Djokovic will win his 25th Slam at the Australian Open
The former star also believes the Rod Laver Arena will be changed to the Novak Djokovic Arena after the Serbian's wins the Australian Open.
Follow Us
Novak Djokovic and John Millman (via X/The Age)
Novak Djokovic has won every title tennis can offer, yet he remains passionate about winning more. He is heading to the Australian Open having won the title for a record ten times in his career. However, he’s not the favorite to win this year as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been deemed more favored than him.
This is as a result of Djokovic’s disappointing displays last season. The Serbian ended 2024 without a Grand Slam for the first time since 2017. He also failed to win an ATP tour title, reaching only one final. Djokovic’s only success came at the Paris Olympics, where he defeated Alcaraz in the final.
On the other hand, Alcaraz and Sinner dominated the court last year, with both winning two Grand Slam titles each. They are predicted to continue with their form this season. But, ATP legend John Millman believes otherwise. In a recent interview, he said that Djokovic will win the Australian Open. He also added that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Rod Laver Arena was changed to the Novak Djokovic Arena after winning for the eleventh time.
You kind of feel like the stars are aligning for Novak. He’s also chasing his 100th career title [in ATP competition]. We thought we’d get that up in Brisbane; we were to be denied. But how nice would it be for Novak if he gets his 100th career title at the Australian Open on a court that’s known so well. Look, Rod Laver Arena is suitably named, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if we changed it at some stage to Novak Djokovic Arena, such has been his dominance on those courts.
John Millman said via 9news Australia
Djokovic opened his 2025 campaign at the Brisbane International. He was the favorite to win the title and take his career tally to 100 titles. But he failed to do so as he was stopped by Reilly Opelka in the quarterfinals after winning just two matches. The 24-time major champion is currently in Melbourne with his new coach, Andy Murray, as he focuses on winning the Grand Slam title.
John Millman was in awe of Jannik Sinner’s incredible composure on the court despite ongoing doping saga
Jannik Sinner’s doping saga is still lingering despite the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) freeing him from all charges. This is because the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in September 2024. CAS is yet to make any ruling on the case, but WADA is seeking a ban of at least two years on Sinner.
Despite the ongoing off-court troubles, Sinner has continued to impress. The World No.1 won three titles after the ITIA made his case public. ATP legend John Millman said during the aforementioned interview that he was surprised and impressed at the Italian star’s composure, particularly at the US Open.
What Jannik did incredibly well at the US Open when all this came out was manage to silence the noise. When that [US Open] draw came out and with the case coming out at the same time, he was the first name I kind of scrubbed out and put a line through. I didn’t think he’d do anything at the US Open. Well, he proved how silly I was because he went on to win the US Open.
John Millman said
Sinner finished the 2024 season winning eight titles. This year, he did not feature in any warm-up tournament ahead of the Australian Open. He will hope to do everything on the court to be able to defend the title.
Stay Updated!
Victor Okechukwu
(719 Articles Published)