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.
Novak Djokovic's potential path AO 2026 title
1st Round: Pedro Martinez
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
Novak Djokovic gets into groove
Ahead of Australian Open 2026, Djokovic eased to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over American Frances Tiafoe in a pre-tournament exhibition match on Thursday in a match that lasted an hour and 22 minutes. The Serbian during his clash against Tiafoe looked fine physically fine, thus giving his fans a glimmer of hope ahead of his match with Martinez.
At Australian Open, Djokovic won the title for the first time in 2008. Thereafter, the Serbian won in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023. In his previous two outings at Australian Open, Djokovic suffered semifinal exits.
How to watch Australian Open 2026 in India?
Sony Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of Australian Open 2026 in India. In India, the Australian Open 2026 matches will be telecast live on Sony Sports Ten 5 (SD & HD), Sony Sports Ten 2 (SD), Sony Sports Ten 3 Hindi (SD & HD), Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil) and Sony Sports Ten 4 (Telugu). Live streaming of Australian Open 2026 will be available on Sony LIV app and website.
