I watched Djokovic send Australian Open message – but there’s a catch | Tennis | Sport

Novak Djokovic calmed fears over a potential injury after breezing past the United States’ Francis Tiafoe in an exhibition match on Thursday. Caution always has to be applied when drawing conclusions from an exho – particularly when Tiafoe freely admitted during one of the changeovers that he was using it to try a few things rather than focusing on winning.

But if the Serbian’s legion of fans needed some assurance over their hero before his first round match against Pedro Martinez – they got it. Having not played since winning the title in Athens in November and after pulling out of the pre-Aussie Open tournament in Adelaide – many questioned whether Djokovic would show up in Melbourne Park at all.

However, the 38-year-old looked sharp against Tiafoe on Rod Laver Arena and, apart from surrendering a break in the second set, was relatively untroubled against a top 30 player, having not played in two months. Djokovic said at the end of last year that he wanted to get his body right after so many physical issues in 2025.

We won’t know if the 24-time Grand Slam champion is in optimal condition until he is tested in a high-intensity best-of-five set match. That is what has largely held him back from winning a record 25th major title alongside the brilliance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

And yet he still reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments last year – something only Sinner achieved in 2025. Djokovic has a winning record over every member of the top 10 apart from Sinner and Felix Auger-Aliassime, so he should like his chances of reaching the last four again Down Under.

Of course, that’s where his recent kryptonite awaits, with the Italian drawn to meet him in the semis if they both reach that stage. It was two years ago in Australia when the balance of that head-to-head truly shifted as Sinner thrashed Djokovic to reach his first Grand Slam final, which he won from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev.

Since then, Djokovic has not won a single set in their three previous meetings. Even world No.1 Alcaraz has not been able to beat the ageing Serb as routinely, with the Spaniard’s quarter-final loss to him Down Under a year ago one such example.

But if by some minor miracle Alcaraz and, in particular, Sinner unexpectedly crash out before the latter stages, then Djokovic will know that it would be his best chance of lifting that record slam title. The Australian Open remains his most successful tournament with a men’s record 10 titles, and he has never lost a final at the event.

In what is likely to be his final few years as a professional tennis player, Djokovic is, as he has been for some time, solely targeting the slams. Even the Masters 1000 events have been used as warm-up events for the majors.

The next few weeks feel huge for what is left of Djokovic’s remarkable career. The Serb will be desperately trying to eke out every last drop of what he has left, and if circumstances go his way, that could lead to one more historic achievement in just over two weeks’ time.