By Richard Pagliaro Saturday, January 17, 2026
Image source: Australian Open Facebook
Novak Djokovic He started his Australian Open in a courtside seat.
The 10-time AO champion aims to establish himself in pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title.
A smiling Djokovic joined a packed Rod Laver Arena crowd on Saturday night to watch former world No. 1 Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter play an EXO match.
The fourth-seeded Serb will face Pedro Martinez in the third period of the AO draw as he aims to break the fortress of Sinner and Alcaraz in recent Grand Slams. The top two players in the world have won eight consecutive major championships.
Although Djokovic withdrew from last week’s Adelaide International and arrived at Melbourne Park having not played recently, his confidence is unwavering.
The Grand Slam king, who lost to Jannik Sinner in two Grand Slam semifinals last year and Carlos Alcaraz in the U.S. Open semifinals, said that while the two newcomers are of different levels, he believes he can beat them if he plays his best tennis.
“Look, I know that when I’m healthy, when I’m able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together one day, I feel like I can beat anybody,” Djokovic told the media at his pre-match press conference. “If I didn’t have this confidence and confidence in myself, I would never be sitting here talking to you guys or competing.
“I’m still motivated and of course I understand that, you know, Sinner and Alcaraz are at a different level than everybody else right now. That’s true, but that doesn’t mean that other guys don’t have a chance. So I always like my chances, in any tournament, especially here.”
The 38-year-old Serbian superstar looked superb as he defeated Alkaraz in the AO 2025 quarter-finals. Djokovic cited two key factors in making strides in Melbourne: effectiveness and efficiency.
The world No. 4 said that if he faced No. 1 Alcaraz or two-time defending champion Sinner later in the tournament, he would have to handle the situation quickly in the early rounds in order to give his all.
“To be honest, I lacked a little bit of energy in my legs to compete with these guys in the later stages of a Grand Slam,” Djokovic said. “But I’m definitely going to do my best like I did in 25 years, and I
I thought I did a good job and challenged them on their way to the championship. Yes, I lost three of my four Grand Slam matches against Sinner or Alcaraz.
“We don’t need to praise them too much. They have received enough praise (smile). We know how good they are and they definitely deserve to be where they are. They are the dominant force in men’s tennis at the moment.”
Djokovic said that if he can conserve energy and build momentum in the first week, he believes he can make great progress in the second week.
“I know my first priority is to take care of my body and of course try to treat every match like a final, but at the same time, build momentum and not expend unnecessary energy,” Djokovic said. “You know, hopefully I can go further again and have a chance to play against them.”
