Novak Djokovic will not make any official matches before the Australian Open, having decided to skip the Adelaide ATP 250 (underway this week).
The Serbian veteran did not feel physically ready yet and preferred not to force ahead of the first Major of the new season, a tournament that is particularly important for his ambitions. The former world No. 1 has lifted the trophy ten times at Melbourne Park and knows all the secrets of the Rod Laver Arena, which is why no opponent will have the luxury of underestimating a legend of his caliber.
The 38-year-old from Belgrade has not triumphed in this tournament since the 2023 edition, when he defeated Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. However, he has reached the semifinals in the last two editions and took away the satisfaction of eliminating Spanish champion Carlos Alcaraz last year.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has already confessed that he changed something during the off-season, wanting to find a way to reduce the number of injuries that have affected him a lot in the last two seasons.
Nole withdrew from Adelaide
Nole will have to try to waste too much energy in the first week of the AO, so as to be ready for the most important matches in which his experience will also be an important factor.
During a long interview with 'Tennis365', former ATP star Greg Rusedski discussed Djokovic's chances of lifting another trophy in Melbourne: “The guy is nearly 39 years of age, we need to keep him in the game for as long as we can. He is the greatest of all-time, no doubt. He is the GOAT when it comes to preparation. Nutrition, fitness, not leaving any stone unturned.
I always like a little bit of chocolate and too much caffeine, but Novak doesn’t allow himself anything. He is obsessive about perfection, doing whatever it takes. He is always trying to find solutions.”
Novak's arrival in Australia should be imminent and only there will we understand his real shape.
