Why Novak Djokovic will miss Serbia's upcoming Davis Cup tie explained

Friday, 09 January 2026 at 16:58

byJordan Reynolds

Novak Djokovic's decision about whether to play in Team Serbia's Davis Cup tie in Chile next month was uncertain until captain Viktor Troicki named his team.

Djokovic has spoken several times about how much representing Serbia means to him, and how doing that and competing in Grand Slams are what matter most to him at this late stage of his career.

However, the schedule makes it challenging for Djokovic to consistently appear at the Davis Cup. The first round qualifiers are scheduled from February 5th to 8th, just a few days after the 2026 Australian Open ends.

Djokovic's continued excellence at Grand Slams, as demonstrated by his four semifinals last year, always made playing for Serbia just a few days after the opening Grand Slam of 2026 unlikely.

Troicki has now confirmed his team, and Djokovic is not on it. Speaking about the development, the Serbian captain emphasized that it was unrealistic to expect the country's greatest sportsperson to compete in Chile.

"It's an extremely inconvenient date for him. 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."

Djokovic's absence from the Serbian team points to a broader issue with the packed calendar. Despite its prestigious status, many top players do not play in any or all stages of the Davis Cup because of its scheduling.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the leading ATP players over the last two years, have proposed that the Davis Cup not be held annually, which could heighten its importance, but others think that would have the opposite effect.

Novak Djokovic is prioritizing doing well at his most successful Grand Slam

Novak Djokovic's record ten Australian Open titles is an utterly remarkable statistic. The most recent of those triumphs occurred in 2023, when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final despite an injury that had plagued him throughout the tournament.

The former world No. 1 was a semifinalist in 2024 and 2025, the latter of those runs cut short by an injury. Djokovic controversially got booed when he retired after the first set against Alexander Zverev.

Initially, Djokovic planned to prepare for the Australian Open at the 2026 Adelaide International. However, the tennis legend withdrew from that event, stating that he was not ready to compete yet after working hard in the season.

Djokovic's withdrawal from the Adelaide International and his decision not to play for Serbia in the Davis Cup in Chile a few days after the Australian Open show he is devoting all his energy to the tournament in Melbourne.

It has been over two years since Djokovic last won a Grand Slam, at the 2023 US Open. Yevgeny Kafelnikov is among those who think it is near impossible for him to add a record 25th Major to his tally.

Djokovic has proved critics wrong several times, but beating Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to a Grand Slam at 38 would arguably be his greatest achievement.