Novak Djokovic resumes his quest for Grand Slam supremacy at the Australian Open, where the seemingly invincible Serb will be the firm favorite to claim his 25th major singles title and eclipse a record that has stood for half a century.
The 36-year-old enjoyed one of the most dominant seasons of his career in 2023, winning a record-extending 10th crown at the Melbourne major before triumphs at the French and U.S. Opens to equal Australian Margaret Court on 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
Court won the last of those trophies in 1973 and Djokovic is poised to go past her on his happiest hunting ground, where 12 months ago he braved a political row involving his father and battled through a torn hamstring to prevail.
Outside of a blip in a thrilling Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz and a couple of late-season defeats by another youngster in Jannik Sinner, the world No, 1 was virtually unbeatable last year with little to suggest he will slow down in 2024.
"You're not really meant to play tennis like that at 36," Djokovic's former coach Boris Becker said in a recent Eurosport podcast.
"When does the guy get tired, or when does he run out of motivation?"
Djokovic has not got off to the best of starts in the new season, suffering his first defeat in Australia in six years at the United Cup mixed team tournament after being hampered by a right wrist issue against Alex de Minaur.
"I think I'll be okay," Djokovic said. "It did have quite an impact, particularly on the forehand and serve. I have plenty of time, I think enough time to get myself in the right shape for the Australian Open."
With his 43-match winning run in Australia ended, Djokovic will be fired up to get a head start in his quest for the Golden Slam — winning all four majors and the gold medal at the Olympic Games — to match Steffi Graf's rare feat in 1988.
"I have always the highest ambitions and goals. That's not going to be different (in 2024), that's for sure," Djokovic said after outclassing Alcaraz and Sinner in back-to-back matches to secure the year-end top spot at the ATP Finals in November.
"The drive that I have is still there. My body has been serving me well, listening to me well. I have a great team of people around me. The motivation, especially for the biggest tournaments in the sport, is still present.
"It still inspires me to keep going."
One of the Serbian great's top threats is Alcaraz, who has taken the tennis world by storm since becoming the youngest men's world No. 1 after his U.S. Open triumph in 2022, then adding a Wimbledon title to his already impressive resume in 2023.
However, Djokovic has had the better of his younger rival since that Wimbledon showdown.
Their rivalry could be set for another epic showdown and once again the world No. 1 spot is within reach for Alcaraz.
Djokovic has a 2,200-point advantage over Alcaraz, who has no points to defend in Australia after skipping the tournament in 2023 with a leg injury.
Rankings are based on points claimed at each tournament, which expire every year. To maintain the points won at an event a player must at least match their result from the previous year.
That means that Alcaraz would claim 2,000 points with the title in Australia and reclaim top spot regardless of the Serbian's result.
He would also move above Djokovic if he reaches the quarterfinals, the semis or the final and the Serb fails to advance along with him.
While Alcaraz may not need any extra motivation, a statement win would cement his standing in the sport and leave little doubt that he is leading a changing of the guard in men's tennis.
"Learning from (Djokovic) is amazing. It's incredible to share the court with him," Alcaraz said after beating Djokovic in an exhibition match in Saudi Arabia in late December.
"I grew up watching him winning all the big tournaments and you know, you always dream about this moment, playing against him face-to-face and I’m really, really happy to be able to do that."
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