Novak Djokovic is in Australia without his family, and it's been quite tough for him as he's used to having them around.
The Serbian is a dedicated professional who understands the problems of being a tennis player well. There are fewer problems when you're just a young and aspiring player trying to find your way on the ATP Tour, but that's been long gone for Djokovic.
He has a family and one that sometimes travels with him to events. Of course, they're not always there, but he's gotten used to having them around, and that's not the case at the 2024 Australian Open.
It's something that hurts him both generally and at this event. Being away from the family is getting tougher and tougher, so he's making deliberate choices with the calendar and prioritizing Grand Slams the most.
"Being separated from the family hurts me more and more. That's the part that I struggle with more now. So, yeah, I try to balance things out with working with my schedule in such way and calendar that is suitable to me. I think I earned my right to choose what kind of tournaments I want to play. Of course, Grand Slams being the biggest ones, the pillars, the priority on the schedule list."
This problem is not unique to Djokovic, of course, as several players spoke about it. Andy Murray has talked about being away from his family often due to tennis and how difficult it is.
It doesn't mean that Djokovic is contemplating stopping anytime soon, but there is a decent chance he might reduce the number of events he'll play.
We'll see in the future, but he's focused on the Australian Open for now. As long as he keeps winning, he'll keep playing, though what kind of schedule that is, remains to be seen.
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