Australian Open 2026: Novak Djokovic's possible pathway to record 25th Grand Slam revealed; here's how it looks

Novak Djokovic will open his Australian Open 2026 campaign against Pedro Martinez of Spain in the first round after the men's singles draw was announced on Thursday (January 15). Seeded fourth, the 10-time Australian Open champion, Djokovic was placed in the bottom half of the draw, which also has two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy.

Chasing his record 25th Grand Slam, Djokovic has not played any competitive tennis since November and also withdrew from last week's Adelaide International. The 38-year-old even cut short his training session in Melbourne due to a neck injury, this raising concerns about his fitness.

The last time Djokovic played a competitive match was at the Athens Open in November. If things go right for Djokovic, the Serbian could face Sinner in the semifinals and possibly set up a final clash with Carlos Alcaraz.

2nd Round: Terence Atmane/qualifier/lucky loser

3rd Round: Roberto Bautista Agut/Botic van de Zandschulp/Brandon Nakashima

4th Round: Jakub Mensik/Tallon Griekspoor/Hubert Hurkacz

Quarterfinal: Taylor Fritz/Lorenzo Musetti/Jiri Lehecka

Semifinal: Jannik Sinner/Ben Shelton/Casper Ruud

Final: Carlos Alcaraz/Alexander Zverev/Felix Auger-Aliassime/Alex de Minaur