Djokovic faces ‘Sincaraz’ roadblock, Sabalenka primed for another title tilt at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic returns to Melbourne Park looking to roll back the apparently inexorable tide of the “Sincaraz” era and produce an Australian Open triumph that would establish him as the most successful Grand Slam champion of all time.

The Serbian clinched his 24th major title at the US Open in late 2023, but Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have since dominated the Grand Slams with a brand of fast-paced tennis that has blown their rivals off the court.

Djokovic, who will be 39 in May, is not impervious to the physical toll two decades on the tour has taken on his body, but only the most foolhardy observer has ever written off one of the mentally toughest players to play the game.

To move out of a tie with Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam singles titles in the Australian’s own back yard, though, he looks likely to need to beat one or both of the “New Two” at the business end of the tournament.

Last year, the last survivor of the “Big Three” beat Alcaraz in the quarter-finals only to retire from his semi-final against Alex Zverev with a hamstring tear.

He reached the semi-finals of all four majors in 2025, losing to Sinner in Paris and at Wimbledon, as well as Alcaraz in New York.

“I lost three out of four slams in semis against these guys, so they’re just too good, playing on a really high level,” he said after his loss at Flushing Meadows. “Best-of-five makes it very, very difficult for me to play them. Particularly if it’s like the end stages of a Grand Slam.”

Djokovic pulled out of the warm-up tournament in Adelaide in January but Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley moved quickly to douse any question over the 38-year-old turning up in Melbourne.

“He’ll be here to play 100%,” Tiley said at the weekend.

“Just out of the abundance of caution, he just wanted to make sure he’s 100% ready. He’s won this event 10 times. He wants to go for that record, and this is the place that he has the best chance of doing it.”

Indeed, Tiley said, it was highly unlikely to be Djokovic’s last Australian Open either, tallying with the player’s own ambition to defend his Olympic title in Los Angeles in 2028.

Djokovic’s battered body might have other plans, though, and his chances of going deep will probably rely on him staying healthy into the second week at Melbourne Park.

He managed ATP titles in Geneva and Athens last year to take his tally to 101 but his best efforts at the longer Masters events were a Miami final and a semi in Shanghai. It will be his 21st appearance in the main draw at the Australian Open, a run that started as a qualifier in 2005 when he was thumped by eventual champion Marat Safin.

Melbourne’s large community of fans with Serbian heritage will ensure he has plenty of support at a tournament where he has otherwise been more admired than loved.

Meanwhile, world number one Aryna Sabalenka enters the Australian Open in her familiar role as the hot favourite but unlike in the past two years the powerful Belarusian arrives without a title to defend or the momentum of a winning run in Melbourne.

The twice champion’s 20-match winning streak at the season’s opening major was snapped in the title clash 12 months ago when American outsider Madison Keys denied her a successful defence and a rare three-peat last achieved by Martina Hingis in 1999.

Sabalenka shrugged off that disappointment as well as losing in the French Open final and Wimbledon semi-finals to secure her fourth Grand Slam crown at the U.S. Open, leaving her primed for another title tilt on the blue hardcourts Down Under.

“Honestly, there’s no difference,” Sabalenka said of her mindset heading into Melbourne Park no longer in possession of the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.

“Every time, it doesn’t matter what tournament it is ... if I’m the defending champion or if I lost in the first round last year, the goal is always the same - to bring my best tennis and improve my game.

“That’s how I take it. I’m always just focusing on myself, on developing my game, and making sure I’m 100% there. That’s my goal and focus every time.”

Sabalenka’s serve infamously hampered her in Australia four years ago but her refined delivery has become a crucial weapon, while her variations with drop shots and sharper tactical nous have turned her into a formidable force.

Agencies