Former world number one Novak Djokovic announced on Monday his withdrawal from the Adelaide International, delaying the start of his 2026 season.
The two-time Adelaide champion, who shared the news on social media, was set to compete at the ATP 250 tournament for the third time in his career, marking the start of a new season on tour.
Now, the fans will have to wait a bit longer to see the 24-time Grand Slam champion back in action.
βTo all my fans in Adelaide, unfortunately, I am not quite physically ready to compete in the Adelaide International next week,β he wrote. βItβs personally very disappointing to me as I have such great memories of winning the title there two years ago. I was really excited about returning, as it truly feels like playing at home.β
The Serbian wrapped up his 2025 season early in November by playing at the inaugural Hellenic Championship event staged in Athens, where he lifted his 101st career title after a scintillating three-hour showdown against Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
The 10-time Australian Open winner now shifts focus to the first major of the season, finishing runner-up the last two seasons.
βMy 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,β he remarked.
Last December, the 38-year-old began working with Dr. Mark Kovacs, a performance physiologist and former coach of two-time major champion Coco Gauff.
Kovacs, the youngest ever International Tennis Hall of Fame Educational Merit Award winner, is a worldwide leading performance expert in the area of optimizing human performance, combining science with the practical aspect of sports.
With a career spanning over two decades, the Belgrade native is motivated to challenge his top opponents in his quest to win a 25 Grand Slam.
Bidding to battle against the power, youth, speed, and talent of the men who are ruling the sport, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, he hired Kovacs, working on performance enhancement as injury prevention, applying cutting-edge science while continuing to improve his abilities at age 38.