But this is the first campaign since 2017 that Novak Djokovic has gone through without winning a Grand Slam.

These are the tournaments he is focusing on as he bids to add to the great legacy he has already carved out for himself.

Why does Todd Woodbridge think Novak Djokovic will be an ‘underdog’ at the 2025 Australian Open?

For the first time since 2018, Djokovic will enter the Australian Open without holding a Grand Slam title.

Furthermore, he has been in the shadow of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for much of 2024, especially as they share this year’s four majors between them.

Therefore, while Djokovic will still be a top contender at an event he has won 10 times in the past, he will not be the outright favourite. But this is something 16-time Grand Slam men’s doubles winner Todd Woodbridge thinks the 37-year-old will relish.

“He’s coming into a very different and unusual phase of his career because the way he’s chosen to not play as many tournaments, his focus is on the majors,” he told the AO Podcast.

“He actually comes in as a bit of an underdog in all of these players we’re talking about [as title contenders] because of that, and he didn’t win a major this year. I think it’s probably going to bring him freedom in the way that he approaches it, and he’ll enjoy that.”

When did Novak Djokovic last win the Australian Open?

The last of Djokovic’s 10 Australian Open titles came in January 2023.

In one of his most dominant years at Melbourne Park, he dropped just one set on the way to taking his tally at the Grand Slam to double digits.

This was the catalyst to a phenomenal season for Djokovic, in which he also claimed the French Open, US Open and reached the Wimbledon final.

But for the first time in a long time, Djokovic will not enter his favourite Grand Slam on the top of the world, and if he were to claim the title in 2025, it could be his hardest run yet.

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