Novak Djokovic Reveals What He’s Lacking Against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in Grand Slam Matches Ahead of his 21st Australian Open Campaign

Novak Djokovic to kick off his Australian Open campaign against Pedro Martinez.

Novak Djokovic Reveals What He’s Lacking Against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in Grand Slam Matches Ahead of his 21st Australian Open Campaign

L-R: Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, Todo Sobre Tenis, The Tennis Letter)

Novak Djokovic has admitted his chances of beating Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open are very slim as the tournament kicks off on Sunday (January 18). The Serbian legend is seeking to win his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne since 2023 and his 25th career major.

The 38-year-old has been the most successful player at the Australian Open, but his return to Melbourne Park this year has been shrouded in uncertainty. After a good 2025 season in which he won two titles, Djokovic announced that he would play at the Adelaide International ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year.

However, a few days before the tournament’s kickoff, the former World No.1 pulled out, stating he was not 100 percent ready to take to the court. His decision not to feature in a warm-up tournament creates uncertainty about what performance he will give at the Australian Open.

Nonetheless, he has not won a Grand Slam since the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner on tour. The duo has won the last eight Slams on tour and has reached the finals of the last three majors. The last time Djokovic reached a Slam final was at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

In Grand Slam events in 2025, Djokovic lost to Sinner twice and to Alcaraz once. During Djokovic’s press conference in Melbourne, he revealed that he’s lacking a bit of strength to compete with Alcaraz and Sinner at the later stages of the tournament, stressing they have been a dominant force in the men’s circuit:

I’m lacking a bit of leg strength to be able to compete with these guys in the later stages of Grand Slams. I’m giving it my all, like I did in 2015, where I think I played very well and challenged them on their way to the title. We don’t need to praise Sinner or Alcaraz any more; they’ve already been praised enough (laughs). We know how good they are; they deserve to be where they are. They are the dominant forces in men’s tennis today.

Djokovic is in the same half of the draw as Sinner, and they are likely to meet in the semi-finals of the event. However, the 10-time champion will open his campaign at the event against Spain’s Pedro Martinez. He’s projected to face Brandon Nakashima in the third round and Jakub Mensik in the fourth round, a rematch of the 2025 Miami Open final.

Novak Djokovic says he’s focused on competing and not retirement

Over the past few months, discussions have been ongoing about when Novak Djokovic will decide to retire from the sport. Last year, he declared that he hopes to end his career at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. However, recent poor performances on the court have led several pundits and former players to advise him to retire.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via ATP/X)

During the aforementioned press conference, he was asked whether he still hopes to play until 2028. The 38-year-old noted that he’s still competing on the court and doesn’t think about retirement. He added that when the time arrives for retirement, he will let the public know about it:

I have been asked a lot about obviously when is the, you know, end date going to come for me, but, you know, I don’t want to talk or think about it yet, because I’m here, I’m competing. When that arrives and kind of becomes ripe in my head, I’ll share it with you, and then we can all discuss on the farewell tour. But right now I’m still No. 4 in the world, still competing at the highest level, and I feel like there is no need to draw the attention to that discussion.

Djokovic is the oldest player in the ATP top 30. He has maintained his place in the top 10 for several years, even though he has struggled to be at his expected level. Also, the former World No. 1 has shown he can play his best against youngsters, particularly at Grand Slam tournaments.

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