Djokovic won’t let record talk burden grand slam tilt

Anna Harrington | January 17, 2026

Novak Djokovic won’t let his pursuit of a record 25th grand slam title prove a burden in Melbourne as he tries to break Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s recent stranglehold over the tennis majors.

The 10-time Australian Open champion’s bid to eclipse Margaret Court hasn’t progressed since his 2023 US Open triumph drew him level on 24 slams.

“There has been a lot of talk about the 25th, but I try to focus myself on what I have achieved, not what I’m possibly achieving,” Djokovic said.

“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 have had and also release some of that unnecessary pressure.

“Obviously there is 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 (or) it’s now-or-never type of mentality. Neither does that allow me to excel and perform my best.

“I’m just grateful to have another shot, particularly here, a place where I won 10 grand slam titles and been consistently playing well and reaching the final stages.

“Last couple of years also semi-finals, ’24 semi-finals, ’25 – had a great win against Carlos in quarters last year.”

Ahead of opening his campaign against Spaniard Pedro Martinez, world No.4 Djokovic was buoyant.

“Look, 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 here definitely 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.”

Sinner, 24, and Alcaraz, 22, have won the past eight slams between them.

“I’m missing a little bit of juice in my legs, to be honest, to be able to compete with these guys at the later stages of a grand slam,” 38-year-old Djokovic conceded.

“But I’m definitely giving my best as I have in ’25, and I think I have done very well and challenged them on their route to the title. I lost three out of four slams against either Sinner or Alcaraz.”

Djokovic showed his funny side when he had a cheeky dig at the world’s top two players.

“We don’t need to praise them too much. They have been praised enough,” he said.

“We know how good they are, and they absolutely deserve to be where they are. They are the dominant forces of men’s tennis at the moment. I’m still trying to be in the mix.”

The superstar Serb wants to protect his body while building momentum to have a crack at projected semi-final opponent Sinner, and potential finalist Alcaraz.

“I would love to have a chance to fight with one of those or maybe both of these guys here,” he said.

Djokovic brushed off a question regarding retirement, unwilling to consider an end date to his career.

“When that arrives and kind of becomes ripe in my head, I’ll share it with you, and then we can all discuss on the farewell tour,” he said.

“But right now I’m still No. 4 in the world, still competing at the highest level, and I feel like there is no need to draw the attention to that discussion.”