Novak Djokovic is seeking to win his 25th Grand Slam at the Australian Open, which begins on January 12. Indeed, the 37-year-old’s jaw-dropping 94-9 record at the tournament places him as the main favorite to win the title. Not only that, Nole has also won the AO title 10 times in his career, more than any player since the Open Era began.
Also, Djokovic made his intentions clear of winning by appointing Andy Murray as his coach for the tournament. The partnership has been dubbed to be made in heaven, as the two most experienced players in the men’s circuit team up to claim victory in Melbourne. However, there are major hurdles on Djokovic’s path to winning the Australian Open.
Three major hurdles in Novak Djokovic’s 25th Grand Slam
1) Novak Djokovic’s current form
Novak Djokovic has won the most Grand Slams in men’s tennis. His failure to win a Grand Slam in 2024 for the first time since 2017 was the most shocking event of the season. He lost to Jannik Sinner in Australian Open 2024 semifinals followed by Wimbledon final loss to Carlos Alcaraz. The only positive from last season was his Olympic gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
He failed to win a single tour-level title in 2024, the first time since 2005. Without a doubt, many pundits were predicting he would dominate the court last season after his mind-blowing exploits in 2023.
The Serbian experienced a massive drop in his performance on the court and has continued in that same direction this season. He was featured in the Brisbane International and was the favorite to win it, but he only won two matches. Djokovic fell to the big-serving Reilly Opelka in the quarterfinals in straight sets.
Djokovic’s poor run will likely follow him to Melbourne at the Australian Open, where he will face tougher players. Also, at 37, he may not be physically capable of competing with youngsters who have the energy to make his wealth of experience in playing at Grand Slams null and void.
2) Novak Djokovic’s motivation might be a major hurdle
Djokovic has said that he wants to become the first player since the Open Era to win 25 Grand Slams, which will cement his place as the greatest player in the history of tennis. But, all the same, Djokovic has won everything that sport can offer. Even without him achieving his 25th Slam, he is the GOAT.
Also, Rafael Nadal’s retirement is a big blow to his motivation for winning more Grand Slams. Nadal was the only player close to his 24 Slam record, having won 22 major titles. If Nadal was still playing and pushing for more Slams, that would motivate Djokovic to go all out for more titles.
Now, he feels satisfied knowing that those contending with him currently (Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz) will not get close to his record until he retires. Djokovic has nothing to lose if he doesn’t win the Australian Open this month and perhaps little to gain if he eventually does the impossible by winning it.
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1) Djokovic was handed a tricky draw
Djokovic and third seed Carlos Alcaraz were placed on the same side of the bracket for the Australian Open draw. This means Djokovic will likely face the Spaniard in the quarterfinals. The last time Djokovic beat Alcaraz was at the Paris Olympics and the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin, while the latter defeated him at the Wimbledon Championship final in July 2024.
Also, let’s say Djokovic finds a way to beat Alcaraz. He will likely face Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. The match will be tougher than Alcaraz’s because Zverev is hungry to earn his first Grand Slam after waiting for several years. In fact, at 28, the German knows he needs it now more than ever and will surely beat Djokovic.
Apart from that, Djokovic will likely face either Tomas Machac or Reilly Opelka in the third round of the Australian Open. Those two players are difficult to beat on their good days. After that, he will play either Jiri Lecheka or Grigor Dimitrov. However, Djokovic will take on 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round, making his first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam.
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