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Novak Djokovic will kickstart his 2025 season at the Brisbane International tournament scheduled to run from December 29 to January 5. Interestingly, the upcoming season will be Djokovic's first with all his big rivals — Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray — inactive on the ATP Tour.
Djokovic joins the likes of Grigor Dimitrov and Holger Rune among other top talents in the ATP 250 field. This will notably be his first appearance in Brisbane after 2009.
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The 24-time Grand Slam champion's participation doesn't come as a surprise — he revealed his plans for January 2025 in an interview a little while ago.
"I am going to play in the first week of the season, I am just not sure yet where," he said (via Tennis Majors).
Djokovic is on the brink of history as he vies for a record-setting 25 Major titles — a feat no other tennis player has achieved in singles. Also, he's one shy of 100 ATP Tour-level career singles titles.
Since he's already 37, his choice of tournaments in the next 12 months will have a direct bearing on him solidifying his already great legacy. And Brisbane is a smart choice to start things off. Let's find out why.
It's tried and tested
It's not unknown that Djokovic has enjoyed unprecedented success in Australia. The 10 Australian Open championships in his trophy cabinet speak volumes of his exploits Down Under.
Interestingly, the 37-year-old has screened himself in lead-up tournaments for the Melbourne Major every season since 2015, except in 2022, when he wasn't allowed to play in Australia.
He participated in the Qatar Open in 2015, 2016 (win), 2017 (win) and 2019, ATP Cup in 2020 (win) and 2021, Adelaide International in 2023 (win), and the United Cup this season. In 2018, he played the Tie Break Tens alongside Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios and others.
Thus, it's safe to say the strategy is tried and tested.
No competitive tennis for Djokovic since October 2024
Notably, Djokovic hasn't competed on the ATP Tour since losing the Shanghai Masters final to Jannik Sinner in October 2024.
He apparently designed his calendar to go full throttle at the Paris Olympics, missing one tournament after the other as he went about his business to claim the elusive gold.
The current season is the Serb's first where he hasn't played any tennis after October since 2017. Thus, it's somehow imperative for him to spend some time on the court and face quality opposition to gain the right rhythm for the Australian Open.
Testing the waters with Andy Murray
Djokovic will not just start a new season at the 2025 Brisbane International but a new partnership with Britain's Andy Murray, one of his former fiercest rivals against whom he has 25 wins in 36 meetings.
The duo agreed to form a player-coach combo for the upcoming season after Murray retired from professional tennis in August this year, and the Paris Olympics champion parted ways with Goran Ivanisevic.
Hence, the 2025 Australian Open will be Djokovic's first Grand Slam in collaboration with Murray and it's wise to test the waters before finalizing a strategy for the year's first Major event.
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