Djokovic faces 'New Two' roadblock

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 backyard, 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 quarterfinals, only to retire from his semifinal against Alex Zverev with a hamstring tear.

He reached the semifinals 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 a warm-up tournament in Adelaide in January, but Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley moved quickly to quell any doubts over the 38-year-old turning up in Melbourne.

"He'll be here to play, 100 percent," Tiley said over the weekend.

"Just out of the abundance of caution, he just wanted to make sure he's 100 percent 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."

It is highly unlikely to be Djokovic's last Aussie Open either, with his ambition of defending his Olympic title in Los Angeles in 2028.

Melbourne's large Serbian community will ensure he has plenty of support at a tournament where he has often been more admired than loved.

There is no doubt he will go down as one of the tournament's great champions, though, especially as his 10 triumphs came in the "Big Three" era when Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were also at their peak.

Reuters