After failing to win a single Grand Slam for the second year in a row and ending the year at the No 4 spot on the ATP rankings, Novak Djokovic will be aiming to fulfill his dream of a 25th Major in 2026. Here’s what’s in store for the 38-year-old next season.

It’s been more than two years since Novak Djokovic won the last of his 24 Grand Slam titles, with the Serbian legend going through the 2024 as well as 2025 seasons without winning a single major. Given he’s not exactly a spring chicken at 38 years of age, as well as the fact that he has struggled to maintain his intensity over five sets of late,
Djokovic is expected to hang up his racquet and call time on his legendary career soon, possibly as early as 2026.

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But will he play the full season next year? Or will he bring the curtains down on his career midway, or make select appearances in 2026 without arriving at a final decision on his professional career? Djokovic has stated that he intends to retire at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, four years after
winning his maiden Olympic gold in Paris. His recent fitness issues, however, have put a question mark on that statement.

Whatever he decides, one thing’s for sure – the current world no 4 will not be as active on the ATP Tour as he was at his prime, or even until a couple of years ago.

Here’s a look at the tournaments Djokovic’s confirmed to play in 2026, and events he’s likely to make an appearance in:

Setting sights on an 11th Australian Open title

Djokovic, who had skipped the season-ending ATP Finals last month, will be hoping to end his two-year wait for a 25th Grand Slam, which will make him the most successful player in tennis history in terms of Majors won. And no better an event to achieve that feat than the Australian Open, where he is the most successful player till date with 10 titles.

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Djokovic, who had recently moved to Greece with his family, will begin his season at the Adelaide International, an ATP 250 tournament that he had previously won in 2023 which takes place from 12 to 17 January. That will be followed by the Australian Open, where the main draw gets underway on 18 January.

What the rest of Djokovic’s calendar is likely to be

While Djokovic has confirmed his participation in the Adelaide International and the subsequent Australian Open, one cannot say with certainty what the remainder of his schedule is going to look like. One can, however, look at recent trends and make a prediction on the events he’s likely to be part of.

Djokovic had recently added Dr. Mark Kovacs, who specialises in sports recovery and biomechanics, to his team ahead of the 2026 season and had made it clear that his priority during the off-season would be to recover from nagging injuries.

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Such an approach indicates that unless he suffers a major injury in the build-up, Djokovic is likely to compete in the remaining Grand Slams in 2026 – Wimbledon, French Open and US Open – at the age of 39.

As for other tournaments, he is likely to feature in the Qatar Open in February, right after the Australian Open given his role as global ambassador for Qatar Airways since November 2024. He had also accepted a wildcard entry in each of the last two seasons of the Geneva Open in May, and could compete in the Swiss tournament for the third consecutive time next year.

That, however, will depend on whether he features in the Madrid Open as well as the Italian Open – both Masters 1000 tournaments – during the clay-court season or chooses one of the two for the fourth season running. With the Geneva Open also a clay-court event, his preparation for Roland Garros, where he will be seeking a fourth title, should not be affected.

As for the other Masters 1000 events across the year, he is likely to seek a seventh Indian Wells title in March, having played the tournament in 2024 as well as earlier this year. He had also returned to the Miami Open after six years in March this year, and thus could make a second consecutive appearance, so long as it doesn’t affect his preparations for the clay-court season.

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Djokovic has also missed the Monte Carlo Masters just once since making his debut in the prestigious event in 2006, and is likely to make another appearance. And given the support he enjoys in China, he is also likely to compete in the Shanghai Masters, which will be taking place after the US Open in October.

And since he’s shifted base to Greece from Serbia recently, Djokovic is expected to defend his title at the Hellenic Championship, that is if the tournament is hosted again after its inaugural edition last month.

There is, however, a question mark over his participation in the ATP Finals next year, having skipped the season-ending event for two consecutive years now. And his participation in the Davis Cup will depend on Serbia and their ability to progress to the knockouts.

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