Novak Djokovic 'not physically ready' to compete at Adelaide International two weeks before Australian Open kicks off in Melbourne

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Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Adelaide International next week, which was slated to be his one and only warm-up event before the Australian Open gets underway in Melbourne. The former world No. 1 is chasing a record 25th major title in Melbourne, but will be heading into the opening Grand Slam of the season short on competitive match practice.

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Novak Djokovic has announced on social media that he will not take part in the Adelaide International, which was scheduled to be the Serbian’s only warm-up event before the opening Grand Slam of the season begins in Melbourne later this month.

He has stated that he is "not physically ready" to play in the tournament.

It means the 24-time major champion will head to the Australian Open with no competitive tennis under his belt since he ended his season in Athens last November.

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Djokovic did at least bow out of 2025 with victory over Lorenzo Musetti in the 250 event in Greece, before withdrawing from the season-ending World Tour Finals in Turin with a shoulder injury.

With the Australian Open starting on Sunday, January 18, Adelaide had been selected as the place to kickstart the Serbian’s 2026 campaign, as he seeks a 25th Grand Slam title to move ahead of Margaret Court in the all-time list.

But now Djokovic will instead head to his most successful Slam with no true warm-up matches under his belt.

"To all my fans in Adelaide, unfortunately, I’m not quite physically ready to compete in the Adelaide International next week," Djokovic wrote on Instagram.

"It’s personally very disappointing to me as I have such great memories of winning the title there two years ago.

"I was really excited about returning, as it truly felt like playing at home.

"My focus is now on my preparation for the Australian Open, and I look forward to arriving in Melbourne soon and seeing all the tennis fans in Australia."

Djokovic has lifted the Australian Open trophy a record 10 times, the most of any male player in the Open era. Many believe it is the most likely place for him to win a 25th title, given Carlos Alcaraz has yet to make it past the quarter-finals of the event.

But given his ranking of No. 4 in the world, it is likely Djokovic would have to play both Alcaraz and defending Champion Jannik Sinner to lift the title - a task that appears Herculean at the best of times.

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Djokovic is no stranger to going into a Slam with limited practice though, choosing not to play any warm-up events before Wimbledon or the US Open last season.

Last year, he made it to the semi-finals of all four Slams, but the Serbian has not lifted a major trophy since 2023.

He will turn 39 this season, and it remains to be seen whether he can extend his lead over Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the Grand Slam stakes.

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