Novak Djokovic is ready to turn back the clock at the Australian Open despite falling behind Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Novak Djokovic can still crack a joke when talking about the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, which for two years prevented him from becoming the most decorated tennis player of all time.
“In 2025, I lost three out of four tournaments to either Sinner or Alcaraz,” he said on Saturday, on the eve of the Australian Open, referring to the rivalry known as the “Sincarraz.”
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“There’s no need to praise me too much,” he added with a smile. “They’ve been well praised. We know how good they are, and they absolutely deserve to be where they are. They’re the dominant force in men’s tennis at the moment.”
Djokovic begins his third season aiming for his 25th Grand Slam singles title and is honing his approach ahead of the Australian Open.
He missed the only scheduled tune-up tournament because he knew he lacked “a little bit of energy in his legs” to compete with two young stars late in the majors and needed to stay as pain-free as possible.
Djokovic devised a way to beat established rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal before becoming the Big Three, and has since surpassed both of them.
The 38-year-old Djokovic, who has won 24 majors, an Open-era record and ties Margaret Court for the most in tennis history, is doing everything he can to keep himself in the spotlight.
Djokovic last won a major title at the 2023 US Open. Since then, Sinner and Alcaraz have split eight people. Sinner has won the last two titles in Australia and Alcaraz is determined to stay in Australia and add to his title at Melbourne Park to complete a career Grand Slam.
Djokovic reached the semi-finals of all four major tournaments last year despite being plagued by injuries. After defeating Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, he was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open semifinals due to a torn hamstring.
Djokovic said he gets rid of his “now or never mentality” every time he competes in a major tournament by reminding himself that “24 isn’t a bad number.”
“Sinner and Alcaraz are playing at a different level than other players right now, that’s true,” Djokovic said.
“So I like my chances in any tournament, especially here.”
The 10-time Australian Open champion will face world number 71 Pedro Martinez on Monday in a night match at Rod Laver Arena. The fourth seed is level with top-ranked Alcaraz. This means that they can only compete in the semi-finals here.
Djokovic has not played in an official tournament since November.
“Obviously it took me more time to rebuild my body, because I understand that’s the thing that has changed the most for me over the last few years. It takes more time to rebuild and it takes more time to reset or recover,” he said. “I had a little setback and missed the Adelaide tournament… but things are going really well here so far.”
As for the pain, he said there is “something here and there” every day, but “overall I feel good and I’m looking forward to the game.”
Earlier this month, Djokovic ended his relationship with the Professional Tennis Players Association, the organization he co-founded, saying “my values and approach are no longer aligned with the organization’s current direction.”
Djokovic and Canadian player Vasek Pospisil launched the PTPA in 2020, with the aim of providing representation to players with independent contracts, primarily in individual sports.
“It was a difficult decision for me to leave the PTPA, but I had to do it because I felt like my name was…worn out,” he said.
“I felt like every time people thought about PTPA, they thought it was my organization, and that was the wrong idea from the beginning.”
He said he still supports the concept.
“I still wish them the best of luck because I think there is room and need in our ecosystem for a 100% athlete-only representative organization,” he added.
