Novak Djokovic has signalled his first major calendar move of 2026 season. And it’s a decision his fans would not like.
Novak Djokovic may not play any warm-up tournament before the Australian Open next year as his name was missing from the entry list for the Brisbane International 2026. In the last three years, Djokovic had always played one warm-up tournament for the Aus Open, which he has won 10 times.
In 2025, he played in Brisbane to get his calendar underway. In 2024, he played for Serbia in the United Cup team and played at the Adelaide International in 2023. But for 2026, he has not entered the Brisbane International.
Djokovic leaves a blank space before Aus Open
The ATP Tour 2026 season will begin on 5 January with the Brisbane International, United Cup and the Hong Kong Open, and Djokovic is not playing in any of these tournaments.
Djokovic may yet decide to enter the Adelaide International and Auckland Open, which will be played from 12-17 January, before the Australian Open starts on 18 January in Melbourne. But he is yet to officially enter any of the tournaments and he may likely skip the warm-up tournament.
Such a strategy would be in sync with the 38-year-old Djokovic applied in 2025 to protect his now injury-prone ageing body. He only played 13 tournaments in 2025, including the four Grand Slams, as he reached the semi-finals at all majors.
The Serbian tennis star also played five ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, one ATP 500 competition and three ATP 250 events. Djokovic only played warm-up events for two Grand Slams in 2025 – the Brisbane International for the Australian Open and the Geneva Open for the French Open. He entered Wimbledon and the US Open without warm-up events.
The only two titles he won in 2025 came at the Geneva Open and the Hellenic Championship – a tournament in Athens, Greece, hosted by his family.
There’s a fear that Djokovic may not even clock double-digit tournaments in 2026 as he looks to win a record 25th Grand Slam title. However, his fans would hope the Serbian is fit and able to play as many tournaments as possible.
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