Australian Open: Can Djokovic be back on his happy hunting ground next year?

When Novak Djokovic outlasted Carlos Alcaraz in an epic quarter final on Tuesday, 21 January, the anticipation was whether the decks were being cleared for the Serbian great’s slam No.25. However, it turned out to be an anti-climax of sorts when the former No. 1 had to pull out of the semi-final against Alexander Zverev due to a muscle tear sustained earlier in the week – raising questions as to whether this would be his last appearance at the Australian Open.

 For someone who will turn 38 in May this year, the job is getting tougher every year with three of his peers having already moved on - with one of them, Andy Murray, at his corner in Melbourne as coach this time. However, unlike Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal who had been ravaged with injuries, Djokovic had done remarkably well to remain injury-free and would like give himself another year and decide on his plans.

 As the obvious question came up, Djoko sounded open-ended about his future at the hardcourt venue – which has yielded him the number of slams (10) in a storied career. ‘’I don’t know. There is a chance. Who knows?’’ the 24-time major winner said at the media briefing.

‘’I’ll just have to see how the season goes. I want to keep going. But whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I’m not sure. I normally like to come to Australia to play. I’ve had the biggest success in my career here. So if I’m fit, healthy, motivated, I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come,’’ he said.

However, failing to keep his date with overhauling Margaret Court’s record of 24 slams means Djokovic has now gone five slams without a title. He failed to collect one for the first time in seven years in 2024 with the last one coming in 2023 US Open, casting a doubt on whether he can eventually overtake Court’s magic number of slams.

Mixed vibes

 Despite winning the first slam of his career there, Djokovic has had mixed vibes about the venue after he was detained in a hotel and not allowed to participate after steadfastly refusing to be vaccinated for Covid-19 pandemic. His decision to decision to withdraw after an hour and 21 minutes on court on Friday, after losing the first set 7-6, was greeted with boos.

 The German rival came to the defence of Djokovic after the match: ‘’Please guys don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury. I know everyone has paid for the tickets..but Novak has given everything of his life to the sport the last 20 years.’’

 Djokovic had apparently picked up the left upper-leg injury during his epic win over Alcaraz in the previous game. ‘’I did everything I possibly could to manage the muscle tear I had,’’ he said soon after leaving the court.