Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley is confident that Novak Djokovic will return to Melbourne in 2026! The ten-time champion experienced a challenging campaign in Melbourne last week, injuring his left leg and retiring in the semi-final against Alexander Zverev.
Novak sustained a hamstring injury in the quarter-final duel versus Carlos Alcaraz. Struggling with his movement in the first half of the duel, Djokovic took a medical timeout in the closing stages of the opening set. He played better in the second and leveled the overall score.
The medication worked well in sets three and four, allowing the veteran to endure the effort and topple world no. 3 in four sets after nearly three hours and 40 minutes. However, Novak’s issues were far from over!
Novak Djokovic to a heckler:
“Sorry mate. I have a wife. We can have a drink though. Maybe you have had a few already.” 😂pic.twitter.com/XBJFlnYllZ
— Danny 🐊 (@DjokovicFan_) January 17, 2025
The legend could not train on Wednesday and Thursday, giving everything with his team to recover and control the pain. Djokovic trained ahead of Friday’s semi-final duel with Alexander Zverev and tried to perform a miracle.
The ten-time champion challenged world no. 2 for 80 minutes in the opening set before dropping a tie break 7-5 following a volley error. Novak felt increased pain in his leg and retired at Majors for the first time since the US Open 2019.
Novak Djokovic, Australian Open 2025© Stream screenshot
The 24-time Major winner received boos while leaving the Rod Laver Arena. Many questioned his injury, but Djokovic silenced them on Saturday! The most accomplished player of all time addressed his critics by sharing a photo of an MRI scan.
It showed a hamstring injury and justified Novak’s retirement from his favorite Major. The Serb felt mighty disappointed during his post-match press conference, saying it could be his final trip to Melbourne. However, the ten-time winner is eager to compete at Rod Laver Arena in 2026.
Tiley does not doubt that we will see Djokovic in action Down Under at least one more time, praising the Serb’s determination. Novak will not compete at the upcoming Davis Cup tie between Serbia and Denmark. The veteran hopes to recover for the ATP 500 event in Doha.
Australian Open 2025© Stream screenshot
“There were talks about Novak competing in Melbourne for the last time. Novak will return next year. He left Melbourne on Monday with his family. I look forward to catching up with Novak in the upcoming weeks, and we will see him back in Melbourne next January.
He had a good warm-up before his match against Zverev. He and his team were confident that he would be able to compete. I have not met a player who focuses and does as much pre-preparation as Novak. He would do everything in his power to step in and play,” Craig Tiley said.
Tennis World USA