Why Novak Djokovic missed training ahead of Australian Open Final

Novak Djokovic was nowhere to be seen around Melbourne Park after booking his place in the Australian Open final.

Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner for the first time in over two years, securing his first Grand Slam final appearance since Wimbledon 2024.

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The win also allowed the Serbian to break one of Rafael Nadal’s longstanding records.

This result has set up an Australian Open final between Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, but new reports are starting to raise concerns about the 38-year-old.

Tim Henman shares late-night detail about Novak Djokovic’s post-Sinner routine

Djokovic’s semifinal with Sinner wrapped up after 1:30am local time, following a four-hour and nine-minute battle.

Even after the match had finished, Djokovic still needed to cool down and go through his regular post-match routines, including talking to the media.

TNT Sports’ Laura Robson, CoCo Vandeweghe and Tim Henman said that neither finalist was seen on site the day after their marathon matches. Both players were likely focused on resting up for Sunday’s decider.

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According to Henman, he spoke to someone in Djokovic’s camp who told him that the Serbian didn’t get to sleep until 6am.

Robson: “I don’t think either of them came on site today.”

Vandeweghe: “No, I didn’t. I don’t think they need to.”

Henman: “I spoke to Charlie [Djokovic’s hitting partner Carlos Gómez-Herrera] on his team and he said they got back and once they had done everything they were in bed at 6am.

“I don’t necessarily think they need to hit tennis balls. They have hit enough. It’s all about rest and recovery and obviously it’s a later start, so they have plenty of time.”

Comparing Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz’s court time ahead of the Australian Open final

Despite wrapping up his semi-final well past midnight, Djokovic might still hold an edge over Alcaraz heading into the final.

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Before taking on Sinner, Djokovic had spent limited time on court. Lorenzo Musetti retired from their match due to injury, and Jakub Mensik withdrew before they were scheduled to play.

Because of this, Djokovic has actually spent less than four hours more on court at this year’s tournament than Alcaraz.

This could be significant given the 16-year age gap between the two players. The Serbian is also looking to win a record-breaking 25th major title.

Djokovic also holds a slight advantage in their head-to-head meetings, leading five wins to four.

The Australian Open men’s singles final is set for Sunday, February 1st, with play starting at 7:30pm local time in Melbourne.

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