24 time Grand Slam Champion and arguably one of the greatest player in the history of Tennis, Novak Djokovic has withdrawn himself from the Adelaide Oval. Fans who were eager and keen to watch the legend
compete will now have to wait for at least another week. This move does not come as a surprise given Djokovic is 38 year old and wants to keep himself fresh for the upcoming Australian Open.
Djokovic was the only top 10 player announce in the Adelaide Open entry list. Other players include players such as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Tommy Paul and Joao Fonseca. The Adelaide Open starts on January 12 and on Tuesday, Djokovic took to Instagram and confirmed the news that he has opted to take an extra week of recovery ahead of the Australian Open where Novak will be eyeing for the historic 25th Grand Slam.
“To all my fans in Adelaide, unfortunately, I’m not quite physically ready to compete in the Adelaide International next week. 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 wrote on his Instagram account.
Earlier in the day, Novak Djokovic also cut all his ties with PTPA ( Professional Tennis Players Association) which was co founded by Djokovic in 2021 due to differences in opinion among other issues. He took to twitter to announce this decision.
Here's the Tweet
After careful consideration, I have decided to step away completely from the Professional Tennis Players Association. This decision comes after ongoing concerns regarding transparency, governance, and the way my voice and image have been represented.
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 4, 2026
Djokovic’s last competitive match was on November 8 last year at the Hellenic Championships in Athens where he claimed the title by defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final. Djokovic is currently ranked #4 in the world and was arguably the third best player last year just behind Sinner and Alcaraz.
