Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from his planned Australian Open warm-up tournament as he is “not quite physically ready to compete”.
The Serb great, 38, was set to play at next week’s Adelaide International as he gears up for his latest bid for a standalone record 25th Grand Slam singles title.
Djokovic has won 10 of his 24 majors at the Australian Open but lost in the semi-finals on his past two appearances.
He has scaled down his playing time in recent years to attempt to be fresh for the Grand Slams.
“I was really excited about returning as it truly felt like playing at home,” Djokovic wrote on Instagram.
“My focus is now on my preparation for the Australian Open and I look forward to arriving in Melbourne soon.”
World number four Djokovic has not won a major since the 2023 US Open but was one of the most consistent players at the Slams last year.
He reached the semi-finals of all four Slams, losing to Jannik Sinner at the French Open and Wimbledon and Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.
He was forced to retire with injury from his last-four meeting in Melbourne against Alexander Zverev last January.
Djokovic also won two ATP Tour titles last year, taking his overall tally to 101.
The Australian Open runs from Sunday, 18 January-Sunday, 1 February.
Earlier, three-time Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev called for the tournament to bring forward its night session matches.
Matches begin at 19:00 local time, with two matches scheduled to take place on Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena.
Djokovic and Andy Murray have previously spoken about late finishes in Melbourne, with Murray describing his 04:05am finish in 2023 as a “farce”.
Medvedev, who was beaten by Learner Tien in a match that finished at 2:55am local time, said he was “happy” to play in the night sessions but scheduling changes would be “better for everyone”.
“I like soccer, but here [in Australia] I don’t watch the Premier League because it’s at two in the morning.
“It’s pretty much the same — people who really love tennis would like to see it at six because then they are almost sure to watch both matches.
“OK, if it goes ridiculously long, [instead of finishing] at three, it would finish at two. It’s better for everyone.”
