Novak Djokovic, the reigning champion, secured the Adelaide International title in 2023, followed by the Australian Open crown three weeks later.
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from his scheduled Australian Open warm-up tournament, citing a lack of full physical readiness to compete.
The Serbian tennis icon, 38, was slated to participate in next week’s Adelaide International as part of his preparations for a potential record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title.
Djokovic has triumphed at the Australian Open on 10 occasions, contributing significantly to his 24 major titles. However, he faced semi-final defeats in his two most recent appearances.
In recent years, Djokovic has strategically reduced his playing schedule to optimize his fitness for Grand Slam events.
“I was really excited about returning as it truly felt like playing at home,” Djokovic stated on Instagram.
“My focus is now on my preparation for the Australian Open and I look forward to arriving in Melbourne soon.”
Djokovic, currently ranked number four in the world, last won a major title at the 2023 US Open, and demonstrated consistent performance at Grand Slam tournaments throughout the year.
He reached the semi-finals of all four Slams, succumbing to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.
He was forced to retire with injury from his last-four meeting in Melbourne against Alexander Zverev last January.
Djokovic added two ATP Tour titles last year, bringing his career total to 101.
The Australian Open is scheduled to run from Sunday, 18 January to Sunday, 1 February.
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In related news, Daniil Medvedev, a three-time Australian Open finalist, has called for an earlier start time for night session matches at the tournament.
Matches are currently scheduled to begin at 19:00 local time, with two matches taking place on both Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena.
Djokovic and Andy Murray have previously voiced concerns about late finishes in Melbourne, with Murray famously describing his 04:05am finish in 2023 as a “farce.”
Medvedev, who recently lost to Learner Tien in a match that concluded at 2:55am local time, expressed his appreciation for playing in night sessions but suggested that scheduling adjustments would be “better for everyone.”
“I like soccer, but here [in Australia] I don’t watch the Premier League because it’s at two in the morning.
“It’s pretty much the same — people who really love tennis would like to see it at six because then they are almost sure to watch both matches.
“OK, if it goes ridiculously long, [instead of finishing] at three, it would finish at two. It’s better for everyone.”
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