A defiant Novak Djokovic is adamant he can still beat any player on his day, but at 38, the Serb is no longer focusing on the Grand Slam record, saying he does not need the pressure it brings.
With 24 Grand Slam titles, the 10-time Australian Open champion needs one more to move clear of Margaret Court and take sole ownership of the all-time record.
“There has been a lot of talk about the 25th, but, you know, I try to focus myself on what I have achieved, not what I’m possibly achieving,” he told reporters at Melbourne Park yesterday.
“I mean, I hope it comes to that, but 24 is also not a bad number. I have to appreciate that and remind myself of the amazing career I had. And also release some of that unnecessary pressure.
“Obviously, there’s always pressure and expectations, but I don’t think it’s needed for me to really go far in terms of make-it-or-break-it type of thing ... I don’t feel it’s necessary. Neither does that allow me to excel and perform my best.”
Djokovic made the semifinals of all the Grand Slams last year, but Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have proved a brick wall in his bid for more major silverware. He will likely need to beat one or both of them to clinch an 11th title at Melbourne Park in his 21st appearance in the men’s singles.
Battle-worn after 20 years at the top of the game, Djokovic conceded it would be hard to beat the duo in five-set Grand Slam matches after losing to Alcaraz in last year’s US Open semis.
If I don’t have that self-belief and confidence in myself, I wouldn’t be sitting here and talking to you guys or competing. I still have the drive, and of course I understand that Sinner and Alcaraz are playing on a different level right now from everybody else
— Novak Djokovic
But the fourth-seeded Serb was ruling nothing out. “I know that when I’m healthy, when I’m able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together on a given day, I feel like I can beat anybody,” he said.
“If I don’t have that self-belief and confidence in myself, I wouldn’t be sitting here and talking to you guys or competing. I still have the drive, and of course I understand that Sinner and Alcaraz are playing on a different level right now from everybody else.
“That’s a fact, but that doesn’t mean that nobody else has a chance. So I like my chances always in any tournament, particularly here.”
Famously cagey about his injuries, Djokovic pulled out of the Adelaide International in the lead-up to Melbourne Park, saying he was not physically ready.
He declined to elaborate on what he called a little setback yesterday but said he felt generally good ahead of a first-round match against unseeded Spaniard Pedro Martinez tomorrow.
He also shot down any talk of retirement, saying he was some way off planning a farewell season and that walking out onto a court to compete was still an adrenaline rush. “It’s almost like a drug, to be honest,” he added.
“But right now, I’m still No 4 in the world, still competing at the highest level, and I feel like there’s no need to draw attention to that [retirement] discussion.”
Meanwhile, world No 8 Mirra Andreeva warmed up for the Australian Open with a comfortable 6-3 6-1 victory over fellow teenager Victoria Mboko in the Adelaide International final yesterday to claim her fourth WTA Tour title.
The 18-year-old Russian, who won back-to-back WTA 1000 titles last year in Dubai and Indian Wells, will meet Paris Olympics silver medallist Donna Vekic in the opening round at Melbourne Park.
Andreeva joked at the presentation ceremony that her team, which includes coach and former world number two Conchita Martinez, had little to do with her win. “I do feel like it was all me,” she said.
“I’ve been practising a lot. I’ve been working, sweating, and I don’t even know why you’re here, honestly. I want to thank myself for being brave in all the matches I played. I want to thank myself for pushing myself every day in practice ...
“I want to thank myself for changing my mentality for fighting till the very last point. For doing what I’ve got to, doing what my team tells me to do, sometimes with complaining, but it’s OK.”
In the men’s Adelaide final, Czech Tomas Machac battled past France’s Ugo Humbert 6-4 6-7(2) 6-2.
In Auckland, Jakub Mensik beat Sebastian Baez 6-3 7-6(7) to collect his second ATP title after his breakthrough triumph at last year’s Miami Open, where the 20-year-old beat mentor Djokovic in the final.
Mensik opens his Australian Open campaign against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, while Baez meets big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto beat American Iva Jovic 6-4 6-4 in another tune-up tournament in Hobart for her first WTA title since 2023.
Reuters
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