Former ATP Tour star Jack Sock has questioned whether Novak Djokovic will reach another Grand Slam final in 2026, following his Australian Open run.
World No 3 Djokovic recently progressed to his record-extending 38th Grand Slam singles final, snapping a five-match losing streak to two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-final.
However, the 38-year-old was unable to claim what would have been a record-extending 25th Grand Slam singles title, falling in four sets to world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the championship match.
Djokovic’s run in Melbourne saw him reach his first Grand Slam final since Wimbledon in 2024, with the Serbian having fallen at the semi-final stage of all four majors in 2025.
The Serbian remains towards the top of the men’s game ahead of his 39th birthday in May, but much like the rest of the ATP Tour, has struggled to consistently challenge the ‘New 2’ of Sinner and Alcaraz in recent months.
Alcaraz and Sinner have now combined to win the last nine Grand Slam men’s singles titles, and with the two comfortably ahead in the ATP Rankings, any player would likely have to beat both men if they were to win a major title.
Djokovic’s Melbourne exploits proved he can still compete with the ‘New 2’, having beaten Sinner in five sets, before a competitive showing against Alcaraz in the final.
However, his hopes of reaching another Grand Slam final this year have now been questioned by Sock, a former world No 8 in singles and a world No 2 in doubles.
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Speaking on his Nothing Major podcast, Sock claimed that it would be difficult for Djokovic to threaten at the remaining Grand Slam tournaments of 2026.
“It’s hard to say,” said Sock.
“He is basically Mr. Australian Open and has been for his whole career, so I’m assuming there might be a little bit more juice down there for him. He might have wanted it a little more.
“They are probably all about the same, but I think that has been his favourite one over the course of his career and he said he’d never experienced a crowd like that in Australia over the last couple of days and their support, so that probably played into helping him out there and getting the mojo going.
“I think we all know that it will be a very light year for him on the schedule side.
“I don’t know if a 39-year-old Novak will have the same juice at the French Open trying to grind out these sets against these young bucks, but obviously, when Wimbledon comes around, we know how much it means to him and everyone in sport.
“He will bring it, but I don’t think he’s making another final this year, in my opinion.”
Djokovic will have just turned 39 by the time the French Open starts in late May, with action at Roland Garros being the next Grand Slam event this year.
The Serbian is a three-time champion at the event and has reached a further four finals at the tournament, while also winning Olympic gold on the site during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
He was a semi-finalist at the event in 2025 but fell in straight sets to top seed and then-world No 1 Sinner, and then lost to the Italian in the semi-final of Wimbledon later that year.
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