World No. 1 Novak Djokovic says wrist is pain-free heading into his title defence at Melbourne; Serbian hopes to start season with 11th Grand Slam title Down Under
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic during a practice session in Melbourne on Saturday. Pic/AFP
The injury update from Novak Djokovic was all good on the eve of his Australian Open title defence.
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Djokovic hurt his wrist playing for Serbia in the United Cup last week and needed treatment twice during a quarter-final loss to Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
“My wrist is good. I had time from the last match against de Minaur to my first match here to recover,” he said. “I’ve been training well. Practice sessions pain-free so far. It’s good. It’s all looking good.”
King of Aus Opens
Djokovic has made it a habit to start the year with a title in Australia. He’s on a 28-match winning streak at Melbourne Park, where he has won an unprecedented 10 men’s singles crowns. It’s a major contributor to his record 24 Grand Slam titles.
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And, so he feels right at home. He hosted “A Night with Novak and Friends” that drew almost a capacity crowd to Rod Laver Arena, where he got the jump on organizers by announcing he’d be playing the night match on Sunday—Day 1 of the first-ever 15-day Australian Open.
Both singles champions will play in the first of the night sessions: Djokovic’s opener against qualifier Dino Prizmic will be followed by Aryna Sabalenka’s first-round match against Ella Seidel.
Fourth-seeded Jannik Sinner, who beat Djokovic twice in a month late last year, including in Italy’s run to the Davis Cup title, will open play on the main show court against Botic van de Zandschulp. That match will be followed by No. 8 Maria Sakkari’s women’s first round against Nao Hibino. Caroline Wozniacki, the 2018 champion who is returning to Melbourne Park for the first time as a mother, will open the night session at Margaret Court Arena. The first round will be staged over three days, with organizers hoping to cut back on the late finishes across the tournament.
Djokovic won 27 of his 28 matches in Grand Slams last year, losing only the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz. He’s determined to go one better than that in 2024 and would like an Olympic gold medal in Paris to go with it.
To the four
Asked Saturday if the so-called Golden Slam—all four majors plus Olympic gold—was in his reckoning for this season, Djokovic said it’s no secret that he wants to win every major he contests.
“It’s no different this year,” he said. “I’m just hoping I can start the season in a way that I have been starting my seasons, most of my seasons, throughout my career: with a win here in Australia, in Melbourne. My favourite place, no doubt.”
Djokovic has won four of the last five Australian titles—the only one he missed was the one he wasn’t allowed to contest. He was deported from Australia on the eve of the 2022 tournament because he wasn’t vaccinated for COVID-19. That’s why he considers his victory last year, capped with a straight-sets win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, his best.
“I hope that, yeah, I’m going to be able to, if not play at the level that I did last year, then be very close to that,” Djokovic said, “because that was one of the best tennis levels that I’ve played, ever played.”
Alcaraz is seeded No. 2 in Australia, and so can only face Djokovic here if they both make the final.
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