Djokovic has a plan to take on tennis newcomers

After winning just one tournament in 2024 — a Paris Olympics gold medal — former No. 1 Novak Djokovic says he, with new coach Andy Murray’s input, has a plan to take on the game’s newcomers. Nothing radical, he says, but enough to give him a chance against the likes of 23-year-old top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who won the Australian Open and US Open last year, and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, who is 21 and who won the other two Grand Slam tournaments, Wimbledon and the French Open.

The 37-year-old Djokovic said after his first-round win at the Brisbane International that he will spend the days ahead of the Australian Open, which begins January 12, with Murray viewing match videos of his younger rivals. The seventh-ranked Djokovic began his quest for a 100th ATP title with a 6-3 6-3 defeat of Australian wild-card entry Rinky Hijikata. A win in Brisbane would be an ideal set-up for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title in Melbourne for the already 10-time Australian Open champion. Djokovic said he would use a second meeting with rival-turned-coach Murray to make small tweaks in his game.

“I’m not looking to transform my game completely. I’m not going to be Giovanni (rising 21-year-old French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard) serving two first serves and coming in to the net,” Djokovic said. “But I definitely am looking to improve, even if it’s the slightest percentage, every single shot that I have in my game, and maybe something that people don’t necessarily see is this court positioning, the transition play, the tactics.”

And he’s prepared to put in time on the practice court. “Physically, mentally, as well and ready to compete, whatever it takes, however many hours it takes with the youngsters,” he said. “The week before Australian Open (we will) do a lot of video analysis of my main opponents, top guys, trying to understand how my game matches up.”

End of Djokovic-Kyrgios journey

Brisbane: The journey of Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios as a doubles pair ended with a 6-2 3-6 10-8 defeat by top seeds Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International. Kyrgios, playing his first tournament since a wrist surgery in September 2023, was beaten by Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a battle of big servers in men’s singles on Tuesday. The Djokovic-Kyrgios duo came within two points of a win but an untimely double fault in the match tie-break allowed Mektic and Venus to clinch the nailbiter. reuters