Novak Djokovic hopes to face Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner at 2026 Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia—Though Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated the last eight major tournaments, Novak Djokovic hasn’t been that far behind.

At 38 years old, the former No. 1 was by far the third most consistent player on the Grand Slam level in 2025, reaching four semifinals—losing three to Sinner and Alcaraz—to finish the year at No. 4.

“We don't need to praise them too much,” Djokovic teased to end his Media Day press conference. “They have been praised enough. We know how good they are, and they absolutely deserve to be where they are. They are the dominant forces of the men's tennis at the moment.

“I'm still trying to be in the mix…obviously I'm grateful to have the better ranking so that I could have eventually better draws in, you know, the first several rounds. That doesn't affect the way I approach [a] Slam. You know, I know that my priority is really taking care of my body and trying to of course treat every match like it's finals, but at the same time, build momentum and also not spend unnecessary energy, you know, and hopefully I can go far again and get a chance to play them.”

On the precipice of a record-breaking 25th major victory since 2023, Djokovic has given mixed messages about his future on tour, weighing an increased emphasis in best-of-three tournaments but opting out of competing at the year-end ATP Finals in Turin. Off the court since winning his 101st ATP title in Athens last fall, Djokovic is as fresh as he could hope to be heading into his 21st Australian Open main draw.

“I took some time off, and obviously took more time to rebuild my body, because I understand that in the last couple of years, that's what changed the most for me is it takes more time to rebuild, and it also takes more time to reset or recover,” explained Djokovic, who withdrew from a warm-up tournament in Adelaide last week.

“Obviously every day there is something here and there for me and I guess for each one of us, but generally I feel good and look forward to competing.”

His biggest success against the “Sincaraz” juggernaut came at this tournament last year, where he outlasted Alcaraz in an impressive quarterfinal upset, but the win drained his physical reserved and yielded an injury that forced him out of the tournament in the semis. Still, the win is more than enough to give the Serb hope of winning an 11th title in Melbourne.

“I understand that, you know, Sinner and Alcaraz are playing on a different level right now from everybody else,” he said. “That's a fact, but that doesn't mean that nobody else has a chance. So, I like my chances always, in any tournament, particularly here.”

At the same time, Djokovic, with his numerous records and accolades has sought to minimize the pressure to achieve further milestones in his career, joking of his major title haul that “24 is not a bad number.”

“I'm still living my dream, to be honest,” said Djokovic, who will face Spaniard Pedro Martinez in his first round on Monday. “Yeah, I mean, achievements are there, one of the highest motivations that you can have, of course. That's a kind of a guiding star, but it's not the only motivation.

“It's passion and love for the game. It's the interaction with people. It's the energy that you feel when you walk out on the court. That adrenaline rush, it's almost like a drug, to be honest.”

Having mused a potential end to his career at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, Djokovic, who played his first Australian Open back in 2005, is eager to continue following that proverbial north star—and all that may yet accompany it.