MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic can still crack a joke when talking about the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. This rivalry is what prevented him from becoming the most decorated tennis player of all time for two years.
“I lost three of the four major tournaments to either Sinner or Alcaraz,” he said on Saturday, the eve of the 2025 Australian Open.
“There’s no need to praise me too much,” he added with a smile. “They are well praised! We know how good they are and they absolutely deserve to be where they are. They are 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 withdrew from his only scheduled tune-up tournament, knowing he lacked “a little bit of vigor in his legs” to compete with two young stars at the end of a major and needed to remain as pain-free as possible.
Djokovic devised a way to beat and then surpass Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, an established rivalry before they became the Big Three.
Djokovic, 38, 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 Australian title twice. Alcaraz remains in Australia and is determined to add a 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. Due to a torn hamstring, he was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open semifinals, where he defeated Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
Djokovic said that by telling himself that “24 isn’t a bad number,” he removes the “now or never mentality” from every major appearance because it prevents him from performing at his best.
“Sinner and Alcaraz are playing at a different level than other players right now, that’s true,” Djokovic said. “But that doesn’t mean other players don’t have a chance.
“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 in the same half as top-ranked Alcaraz. This means they can only compete in the semi-finals.
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 bit of a setback and missed the Adelaide tournament… but I’m doing 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 a false 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 said.
