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Novak Djokovic fell marginally short of his 25th Grand Slam after he lost to  in the final of the Australian Open 2026. He did get the better of his nemesis Jannik Sinner at the event, defeating him in the semifinal, but at this stage of his career, it was a bit too much to ask from him to beat Sinner and Alcaraz in back-to-back Grand Slam matches.

The French Open is lined up later this month, and   might not be in the best shape heading into the tournament. Djokovic played the ATP Rome Masters ahead of Roland Garros, but suffered a first-round exit after losing to 20-year-old Dino Prizmic of Croatia. Djokovic later admitted that he is far away from his best version, raising doubts about his fitness ahead of the second Grand Slam of the year. "I see what I'm missing," Djokovic said after his shock defeat. "Late half a step. I'm definitely not where I want to be for the highest level and to compete at the highest level and to be able to get far." Djokovic said that he trains hard, but how his body holds up during matches can't be predicted. "Eventually, you have to play. You have to start somewhere. I wanted to start earlier, but I couldn't. The situation is as it is. You make the most out of it. I train hard. I train as much as the body allows me to. Then how it turns out on the court, that's really unpredictable," he said. Asked if he will be fully fit to play at Roland Garros, Djokovic dropped a cryptic remark. "I don't know." With a smile, he added, "I hope so."

Should Djokovic Skip French Open? Grand Slams demand elite-level endurance and mental toughness, and the French Open is arguably the most physically demanding of them all due to the gruelling nature of clay-court tennis. At 38 years, that's not ideal for Novak Djokovic. This might be the last year the Serbian chases his 25th Grand Slam, but it could be a smart move to skip the French Open if he's not sure of his fitness. The French Open final will be played on 7 June, and Wimbledon kicks off on 29 June. It could be better for Djokovic to rest and prepare for Wimbledon, one of his favourite tournaments, which he has won seven times. If Novak decides to play Roland Garros and makes a deep run, he might not be able to fully recover before Wimbledon. Obviously, a deep run would give him a chance to win his 25th Slam at the French Open, but realistically, beating Sinner on clay, especially when Novak himself has admitted that he is not where he wants to be in terms of fitness and mental aspect, looks like a tall task.