Novak Djokovic won’t be playing for Serbia in next month’s Davis Cup tie in Chile. Captain Viktor Troicki just announced his team, and the tennis legend’s name isn’t on it.
It’s not really a surprise, though.
The timing is pretty brutal for someone like Djokovic. The Davis Cup qualifiers run from February 5th to 8th – just days after the Australian Open wraps up.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | 38 | 8,360 | 18 - 6 |
Think about it: you’ve just spent two weeks grinding through the most physically demanding tournament in tennis, potentially making deep runs, and then you’re supposed to hop on a plane to South America and switch to completely different courts?
Troicki gets it completely.
"It’s an extremely inconvenient date for him," the Serbian captain explained. "We all hope he performs well and goes far in the Australian Open. It wasn’t realistic to expect him to fly to Chile from Melbourne immediately after the exhausting Grand Slam to change surfaces and be with us this time."
The Davis Cup scheduling problem
This isn’t just about Djokovic being picky. The whole tennis calendar is absolutely packed these days.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner – basically the two biggest names in tennis right now – have actually suggested the Davis Cup shouldn’t happen every year. Maybe that would make it feel more special?
Others think that would backfire completely.
But when your top players keep skipping the tournament because of scheduling conflicts, something’s gotta give.
All eyes on Melbourne
Here’s the thing about Djokovic and the Australian Open: it’s his house. The guy has won there ten times. Ten!
His last victory came in 2023 when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. And he did it while dealing with an injury the whole tournament.
He made the semifinals in both 2024 and 2025, though this year ended pretty controversially. He retired after just one set against Alexander Zverev, and the crowd wasn’t having it. They booed him pretty loudly.
Djokovic was supposed to warm up at the Adelaide International, but he pulled out of that too. Said he wasn’t ready to compete yet after working hard in the off-season.
That tells you everything about his priorities right now.
The 25th Grand Slam chase
It’s been over two years since Djokovic won a Grand Slam. His last one was the 2023 US Open.
Some people think he’s done. Former world No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov recently said it’s "practically impossible" for Djokovic to win another major.
But here’s the thing about Djokovic – he’s made a career out of proving people wrong.
Still, trying to beat Alcaraz and Sinner to a Grand Slam at age 38? That might be his toughest challenge yet.
If he pulls it off, it could be the most impressive thing he’s ever done. And that’s saying something for a guy who already has 24 Grand Slams.
Right now, though, he’s putting all his energy into Melbourne. No distractions, no extra tournaments, no Davis Cup obligations.
Just one shot at history.
