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Novak Djokovic issued a warning to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in a fiery press conference ahead of the start of his campaign in the Australian Open 2026. Amid doubts over his future and questions regarding his retirement, Djokovic said he has the self-belief and confidence that he can beat anyone in the first Grand Slam of the year.
The 38-year-old, who is the most successful male player in tennis history with a record 24 Grand Slam titles to his name, will be gunning for a 25th major at the Australian Open this year. Djokovic is currently tied with Margaret Court for the record for the most Grand Slams won by any player across all eras and categories.
A triumph at the Australian Open will see him become the most successful tennis player of all time. However, Djokovic has struggled to go the distance at majors in the last couple of years owing to his waning prowess and growing age. Since the start of 2024, Sinner and Alcaraz have forged their dominance in men's tennis by winning all eight Grand Slams between them.
However, the Serbian ace believes he still has it in him to end the duo's dominance and challenge them for the title at the Australian Open. While admitting that Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated tennis in the last two years, Djokovic said if he didn't have the self-confidence to compete and win, he wouldn't be in Melbourne.
"I know that when I’m healthy, when I’m able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together on a given day, I feel like I can beat anybody. If I don’t have that self-belief and confidence in myself, I wouldn’t be sitting here and talking to you guys or competing," Djokovic told reporters in the presser.
"I understand that Sinner and Alcaraz are playing on a different level right now… but that doesn’t mean that nobody else has a chance. So I like my chances always, in any tournament, particularly here," he added.
Djokovic last won a Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2023 and has since failed to win a major. Nonetheless, he made it to the semi-finals of all Grand Slams in 2025 and finished the year as the world no.4, highlighting he has still enough left in him to compete at the highest level.
While admitting Alcaraz and Sinner are the new dominant force in men's tennis, Djokovic said he is still trying to give his best to stay in the mix, while highlighting how he challenged the duo on their way to titles in Grand Slams last year.
"I’m missing a little bit of juice in my legs, to be honest, to be able to compete with these guys at the later stages of a Grand Slam. But I’m definitely giving my best as I have in ‘25, and I think I have done very well and challenged them on their route to the title," said Djokovic.
"I lost three out of four slams against either Sinner or Alcaraz… We know how good they are, and they absolutely deserve to be where they are. They are the dominant forces of the men’s tennis at the moment. I’m still trying to be in the mix," he added.
