- The Serbian will sharpen his game in Brisbane
- Before the Australian Open starting January 12
- Chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title
Novak Djokovic has signed up to play in the Brisbane International starting later this month as the Serbian superstar chases a record 25 Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic joins a hot Brisbane field that includes Nick Kyrgios, defending champion Grigor Dimitrov, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe, Matteo Berrettini, Sebastian Korda, Gael Monfils, plus local hopes Alexei Popyrin and Jordan Thompson.
The ATP event will take place from December 29 to January 5, with the Australian Open beginning on January 12.
Djokovic is coming off a frustrating season, and 2024 marked the first year since 2017 in which he failed to win one of the four majors.
The 37-year-old, now ranked seventh in the world, is one trophy away from surpassing Margaret Court’s joint record of 24 Grand Slam singles crowns.
Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz in Paris to win his first Olympic gold medal earlier this year, joining Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams as the fifth tennis player to complete the legendary ‘golden slam’.
Meanwhile, Bernard Tomic is currently training on the Gold Coast as he prepares to compete for a place in the Australian Open main draw for the first time in three years.
The former world number 17’s ranking plummeted to 825th place in 2022, but at 32 years old he has fought his way back to 214th place.
Novak Djokovic has signed up to play in the Brisbane International starting later this month as the Serbian superstar seeks his 25th career Grand Slam title.
Bernard Tomic is fighting hard for a place in the Australian Open main draw for the first time in three years after his ranking fell to 825th in the world in 2022.
After briefly breaking into the top 200 in October, Tomic is now in a position to challenge for Australian Open qualification next month.
Surprisingly, Tomic competed in low level events in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Qatar, Kuwait, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Turkey, Brazil, Thailand, India, Colombia, Spain, United States and Canada in an attempt to rebuild his ranking.
Retired Australian Davis Cup representative John Millman praised Tomic’s grafts around the world.
‘I love it. What an effort for Bernie to come back,” Millman told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘Coming out and going through the Futures and Challengers the way he has is huge. These are really unglamorous tournaments.
“I think he’s had to do it pretty hard at times and he’s managed to get through it.”
In Melbourne, crowd favorite Kyrgios is also set to return to the court after two injury-plagued years.
It is understood the 29-year-old will use his protected ATP ranking of 21 at Melbourne Park rather than receive a wildcard.