Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Adelaide International, a warm-up tournament for the Australian Open, saying he is “not quite physically ready”. The 38-year-old was scheduled to begin his 2026 season in Adelaide, where he has won two titles, the most recent in 2023.
Writing on Instagram, Djokovic said: “To all my fans in Adelaide, unfortunately, I am 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. My focus is now on my preparation for the Australian Open and I look forward to arriving in Melbourne soon.” His withdrawal means he will head straight to Melbourne.
Djokovic, currently world No 4, has not played an ATP Tour match since beating Lorenzo Musetti in the final of a 250-level tournament in Athens at the beginning of November. He has played a slimmed-down calendar in recent years, aiming to peak for the grand slams as he searches for a record 25th major title.
The Serb has won 10 of his 24 slams in Melbourne and reached the semi-finals last year before being forced to withdraw with injury against Alexander Zverev. He has not won a major since the US Open in 2023, while Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have shared the last eight grand slams. The Australian Open begins on Sunday 18 January.
