Novak Djokovic is currently not in action anywhere. He withdrew from the Paris Masters, where he was the defending champion, before announcing that an injury forced him to cancel his flight to Turin for the ATP Finals. The Serbian is targeting next year’s Grand Slam trophies.

The Australian Open is not going to be his first tournament, Djokovic revealed while attending a basketball match in Belgrade between Crvena Zvezda and Alba in the Euroleague. He took much-needed time off to recharge his batteries so that he could come back fully refreshed during the first week of 2024.

The last time Djokovic played before the Australian Open was in 2023. He ended up winning both the Adelaide International and the Melbourne Major and went on to win two more Grand Slam titles (at the French Open and the US Open).

Novak Djokovic was last seen in action in October, in the final of the Shanghai Masters, where he lost to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in straight sets. Sinner will enter the tournament as the top seed for the first time.

He became the World No.1 player thanks to his impressive run this season and also because of Djokovic’s withdrawal from one tournament after the other. It was the 37-year-old whom Sinner dethroned from the No. 1 position.

As Djokovic won’t be among the best players in Turin, Sinner commented on it and said the 24-time Grand Slam champion would be missed.

While Djokovic has won the ATP Finals trophy seven times, Sinner is yet to emerge as the winner. Last year, he reached the final and lost to Djokovic. In his first group-stage match this season, the 23-year-old is set to lock horns with Alex de Minaur on Sunday (November 10).