Should Novak Djokovic be worried about Australian Open 2025 chances after shocking Brisbane loss?

Novak Djokovic, who has won the Australian Open 10 times in his glittering career, will start yet another campaign in the tournament in about a week. The Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne has been the 37-year-old's favorite hunting ground for the past decade and a half.

However, age seems to be catching up with the 24-time Grand Slam winner. Although he won the Paris Olympic gold last year, Djokovic did not win a single ATP event. It was the first time since 2017 that the Serb failed to win any ATP title in a calendar year.

Novak Djokovic's 2025 season also started on a disappointing note as he lost to Reilly Opelka in the semifinals of the Brisbane International on Saturday, January 5. While Djokovic is too good a player to be kept out of contention, his recent performances do not augur well for his chances at the Australian Open.

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Can Djokovic win his 25th Grand Slam title in Australia?

With a 91% win record in the Australian Open, Djokovic knows Melbourne Park like the back of his palm and will consider himself among the favorites as long as he remains fit. Moreover, as the matches in Brisbane showed, he still retains the surgical precision in his groundstrokes. A few of his forehands against Opelka were deep enough and landed exactly where he intended them to.

That shows that the biggest assets of the 24-time Grand Slam winner are still intact.

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Age and Motivation may factor in the Serb's chances

One aspect that might have changed considerably is the hunger and motivation necessary for the champions in any sport to excel. With both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Djokovic's two greatest rivals, having retired from the game, and with almost every record in his kitty, the Serb might not have much motivation left.

While Djokovic will still step onto the court to win matches and increase his Grand Slam tally, that fire in the belly might be missing that distinguished the 37-year-old from his rivals on so many occasions.

As Djokovic said after his loss in the third round of the US Open last year:

"I just felt out of gas and you could see that with the way I played."

Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, two of his much younger rivals, are improving consistently and are about to enter their prime as tennis players. They won two Grand Slams apiece in 2024, with Sinner winning more than 90% of his matches. The Italian finished with a fantastic 53-3 win-loss record on hard courts in 2024.

This only amplifies the difficulty Djokovic is already facing at his age. It has to be remembered in this context that Sinner beat the Serb in the semifinals of the Australian Open last year, getting absolutely swept away in the first two sets.

One can never rule a great man out as long as he is willing to fight. However, if Djokovic fails to win the Australian Open this time around, it is going to be extremely difficult for him to do so ever again. Considering the kind of form Sinner is in, the Serb will face an uphill task in his hunt for the 11th Slam Down Under.