PERTH – World primary Novak Djokovic is hoping his trendy journey to Australia is not the closing, however admits that at 36 he’s now taking it “season by using season”.
The Serbian movie star is the king of the Melbourne Park hard courts, winning the Australian Open a report 10 times, with an 11th in his points of interest subsequent month.
He receives his arrangements beneath manner in Perth at the ATP-WTA United Cup on Sunday after some other super season that added 3 greater Grand Slam titles for a document 24.
That protected some other Australian Open, taming Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6–3, 7–6 (7–4), 7–6 (7–5) in the 2023 final.
So dominant is Djokovic that he has won 4 of the final five Australian Opens with the simplest exception being 2022, while he become kicked out of the country for refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
“i’m hoping it is now not the ultimate, to be sincere,” he said of being in Australia again after his arrival in Perth and a past due schooling consultation on Thursday.
“Coming back to Australia, i’ve continually felt like I played my exceptional tennis over the years and had terrific help. So i am now not positive, I do not truly have a plan (for) what is going to manifest subsequent year.
“i am type of taking season by means of season to peer how some distance it takes me.”
Djokovic’s absence from the 2022 Australian Open noticed lengthy-time rival Rafael Nadal upload to his best other name at Melbourne Park in 2009.
Nadal, 37, returns after a year far from the game at the Brisbane global this week following hip surgical operation, with the 2 greats set to pass paths in Australia one greater time.
Djokovic, who has in large part escaped injuries through the years, stated he expects the 22-time Grand Slam winner to be as aggressive as ever.
“he is now not a kind of a player that will come lower back to the tour just to play — shall we embrace — on a medium stage, play a few suits,” Djokovic said at an exhibition suit in Saudi Arabia before heading to Perth.
“He desires to win titles, he wants to be the quality, it’s why he’s who he is: a legend of our recreation.”