Novak Djokovic may be planning to play at the Australian Open without appearing at any warm-up events. The Serbian prepared for this year’s Australian Open by entering the Brisbane International, but his name doesn’t feature on the entry list for the 2026 edition of the Queensland tournament. And his decision to miss the ATP 250 event could haunt him if he loses in the early rounds in Melbourne.

Djokovic has won a record 24 men’s Grand Slam trophies throughout his illustrious career, but hasn’t been able to add to that tally since beating Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 US Open final. He progressed to the semi-finals at all four Grand Slams in 2025, with his most recent appearance in a final coming at Wimbledon last year. On that occasion, he was outclassed by Carlos Alcaraz. And Djokovic will be desperate for more glory Down Under when Grand Slam tennis returns on January 18.

The Brisbane International is due to begin a fortnight before the Australian Open gets underway.

The entry list includes the names of Medvedev, Tommy Paul and Joao Fonseca. But Djokovic’s name is nowhere to be seen.

The 38-year-old featured at the Brisbane International for the second time in his career at the start of this year as he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Reilly Opelka. His only appearance at the tournament came in 2009, where he suffered a shock defeat to Ernests Gulbis in his opening match.

But Djokovic could yet decide to prepare for the Australian Open by playing at either the Adelaide International or the Auckland Open, with those tournaments due to be played in the week leading up to the Grand Slam.

Djokovic skipped a host of ATP Tour events throughout the 2025 season to concentrate his efforts on the Grand Slams. The veteran even decided to miss the ATP Finals in Turin, with his most recent tournament appearance coming at the Hellenic Championship in Greece, where he defeated Lorenzo Musetti in the showpiece match.

And commenting on his schedule during a press conference ahead of the US Open in August, the veteran admitted: “I decided not to play [at recent tournaments] because I wanted to spend more time with my family.

“And to be honest, you know, I think I earned my right and have the luxury of kind of choosing, picking and choosing where I want to go and what I want to play. I don’t actually have any schedule other than Slams, to be honest.

“So yeah, it’s just not any more prioritising the heavy schedule as I used to. I’m not chasing the rankings or building up my points or defending. I just don’t think about it anymore.”