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Novak Djokovic is targeting a 25th Grand Slam triumph as he prepares for the Australian Open. The Serbian ace has won a record 10 Australian Open titles, with his most recent victory coming in 2023.

Having already won the most major singles championships in the men's game, one more title would see Djokovic no longer share the outright singles record with Margaret Court. The 38-year-old is arguably best placed to achieve the feat in Melbourne, where he has historically enjoyed the most success, as he nears retirement. However, fresh doubts emerged over his fitness after he withdrew from the Adelaide International earlier this month. Djokovic, who is the tournament's fourth seed, is still scheduled to compete at the major but his past appearances at the Australian Open have not been without controversy.

At last year's Australian Open, John McEnroe speculated that Djokovic may have been exaggerating an injury during his quarter-final clash with Carlos Alcaraz. The tennis icon shared his conspiracy theory while commentating on the high-profile match.

Questioning the severity of Djokovic's injury, McEnroe said: "This isn't the first time we've seen this routine. Don't be fooled."

Djokovic subsequently withdrew from his semi-final with Alexander Zverev due to a torn muscle in his leg, posting a picture of his MRI scan on social media. He said: "Thought I'd leave this here for all the sports injury 'experts' out there."

When asked for his thoughts on McEnroe's stance, Djokovic responded: "To be honest, I haven't seen these comments so I can't say more," said Djokovic. "What I can say is that it's always easier to judge and criticise than to understand. It's a lesson I've learned in life."

In January 2022, Djokovic was unable to defend his title as he was deported from Australia due to not being vaccinated against covid-19. The reigning champion, who would have been targeting a fourth successive Australian Open title, was detained and deported 10 days later.

Djokovic's visa was cancelled and he received a three-year ban from the country, which was later overturned. This ruling allowed Djokovic to compete in subsequent tournaments but the incident had a lasting impact.

"You can't forget those events, it's one of those things that stick with you," Djokovic said upon returning to Australia in December 2022. "It stays with you for the rest of your life.

"It's something I've never experienced before and hopefully never again, but it is a valuable life experience for me. But I have to move on and coming back to Australia speaks about how I feel about this country and how I feel about playing here."

Djokovic was surrounded by drama during the 2025 Australian Open. Alongside his row with McEnroe, the Serbian also became embroiled in a feud with Australian broadcaster Tony Jones, who had spoken out against Djokovic while working for Channel Nine.

During a live broadcast in front of Djokovic fans, Jones said: "Novak, he's overrated. Novak's a has-been. Novak, kick him out... Boy, I'm glad they can't hear me."

Consequently, Djokovic refused to speak to the network, with Channel Nine later issuing a public apology. Jones also apologised for his comments on air and admitted he had crossed a line.

Speaking on Channel Nine, Jones said: "If I could turn back time, right, and I know we've all got PhDs in hindsight, I think the one thing where I overstepped the mark, and this is certainly what's really sort of angered Novak Djokovic and his camp, is the last comment I made in that back and forth with the crowd, 'Kick him out.'

"Now, I can stand here and put whatever spin on that, but it can only be interpreted as a throwback to the COVID years when he [Djokovic] was kicked out [over his vaccination status]. Now, that has angered Novak, which I completely understand now."