Novak Djokovic has shared a concerning health update ahead of the first Grand Slam event of the year, the Australian Open.
Taking to social media on Monday, January 5, the Serbian tennis star announced that he is pulling out of his planned Australian Open warm-up tournament in Adelaide.
The 38-year-old was planning to get back on the court next week at the Adelaide International before beginning his bid for the record 25th Grand Slam singles title, but days before, he withdrew from the tournament, citing that he is not “physically ready.”
The Paris Olympic gold medallist wrote on his Instagram story, “To all my fans in Adelaide, unfortunately I'm not quite physically ready to compete in the Adelaide International next week. It's personally very disappointing to me, as I have such great memories of winning the title there.”
“My focus is now on my preparation for the Australian Open, and I look forward to arriving in Melbourne soon and seeing all the tennis fans in Australia,” he concluded.
The world No. 4, who has won 10 of his 24 major titles at the Australian Open, has not played any official match since defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the Hellenic Championship finals in Athens in November.
Djokovic is eyeing ending his Grand Slam drought this year. He last won a major title at the 2023 US Open but remained the most consistent player at the Slams throughout last season and reached the semi-finals of all four Slams.
The Australian Open is all set to take place from Sunday, 18 January-Sunday, 1 February.
