Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Adelaide International, a warm-up tournament for the Australian Open, saying he is “not quite physically ready”.
The 38-year-old was scheduled to begin his 2026 season in Adelaide, where he has won two titles, the most recent in 2023.
His withdrawal means he will now head straight to Melbourne.
He wrote on Instagram: “To all my fans in Adelaide, unfortunately, I am not quite physically ready to compete in the Adelaide International next week.
“It’s personally very disappointing to me as I have such great memories of winning the title there two years ago. I was really excited about returning as it truly feels like playing at home.
“My focus is now on my preparation for the Australian Open and I look forward to arriving in Melbourne soon and seeing all the tennis fans in Australia.”
Djokovic, currently the world No 4, has not played an ATP Tour match since beating Lorenzo Musetti in the final of a 250-level tournament in Athens at the beginning of November.
He has played a slimmed-down calendar in recent years, aiming to peak for the grand slams as he searches for a record 25th major title.
The Serb has won 10 of his 24 slams in Melbourne and reached the semi-finals of the tournament last year. He was forced to withdraw with injury from his last-four meeting with Alexander Zverev.
He has not won a major since the US Open in 2023 but remains the third-most consistent player on the ATP Tour, behind Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have split the past eight grand slams evenly between them. The pair will again line up as favourites at the Australian Open, which begins on Sunday 18 January.
