“Not quite physically ready”
Shortly before the Australian Open – Djoković cancels the tournament
Updated January 6, 2026 – 3:40 amReading time: 2 minutes
The Grand Slam record winner is traveling to the Australian Open this year without any match practice. He cites a lack of fitness as the reason for his cancellation in Adelaide.
Novak Djoković will travel to the first Grand Slam tournament of the year in Australia without any competition practice. As the 38-year-old Serb announced in an Instagram story on Monday evening, he “doesn’t feel quite physically ready” to start next week at the ATP tournament in Adelaide. The event, which starts next Monday, is the only preparatory tournament for the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Djoković further wrote in his Instagram story: “This is very disappointing for me personally, as I have such fond memories of winning the title there two years ago.” He was really looking forward to returning because it really felt like a home game.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner from Serbia now wants to focus entirely on preparing for the Australian Open. “I’m looking forward to arriving in Melbourne soon and seeing all the tennis fans in Australia,” Djoković said. The main field starts the tournament on January 18th.
Djoković played his last tournament game to date on November 8th against Italian professional Lorenzo Musetti. At that time, Djoković won the final in Athens, but then canceled his start at the ATP Finals due to a shoulder injury.
Djoković is the record winner of the Australian Open with ten successes; his last success so far at the Yarra River came in 2023. Due to his advanced tennis age, the Serb is concentrating primarily on the four major tournaments, in which he won 24 titles, more than any man. Despite his measured starts, the long-standing industry leader is still number four in the world rankings.