Australian Open 2026: Surely you are (D)joking, Mr Novak?

Richard Feynman’s autobiography Surely You’re Joking, Mr Feynman is 1 of the funniest physics reads, surely funnier than the physics textbooks engineering students had to wade through.

The rubric is based connected a infinitesimal astatine Princeton erstwhile Feynman was offered beverage by the Dean’s wife, who asked him: “Would you similar citrus oregon cream?” Feynman, not acquainted with British etiquette oregon possibly subtly hinting astatine the duality of quality that would aboriginal go accepted successful quantum mechanics, replied: “Both.” To which the Dean’s woman said: “Surely, you are joking, Mr Feynman,” due to the fact that mixed unneurotic citrus and pick would curdle.For immoderate reason, 1 was reminded of Feynman portion watching Novak Djokovic marque airy of reality, biomechanics, the conception of clip arsenic we recognize it, and the grade to which we tin propulsion a quality body. Oh, and a feline called Sinner. Because, surely, you are (d)joking, Mr Novak?At an property wherever astir of america get bushed watching 9 hours of tennis — nary substance however sumptuous the crockery that is served up — and getting up awkwardly from the sofa tin pb to a backmost spasm, Djokovic went toed to toed with a feline 14 years his junior.

To enactment it successful context, erstwhile Djokovic turned professional, Sinner wasn’t adjacent 2 years old. His hostile for Sunday’s final, Carlos Alcaraz, hadn’t been born.And yet successful Melbourne, aft 4 hours and 9 minutes of punishment and an audit of quality endurance, Djokovic collapsed arsenic the victor astatine Rod Laver Arena. He came backmost from 2 sets down. He broke his five-match losing streak against Sinner. He saved 16 retired of 18 interruption points, including 8 interruption points crossed 2 work games.

The word GOAT is thrown astir with wanton wantonness these days, but nary GOAT has been arsenic persistently questioned arsenic Novak. Take this write-up successful The Guardian erstwhile Djokovic won his 23rd Grand Slam: “Suppose a tennis subordinate comes on who is 10 feet tall. Every service is an ace. He ne'er loses a work game. He wins 30 expansive slams. Is helium the GOAT? No. The thought is ridiculous…” The hypothetical was meant to reason that greatness cannot beryllium successful a vacuum.

Djokovic, apparently, exists successful a imperishable asterisk.Or instrumentality the caller interrogation question wherever helium was asked however it felt “chasing” Sinner and Alcaraz aft spending his vocation chasing Rafa and Roger.A beleaguered Djokovic asked: “I’m chasing Jannik and Carlos? In which sense? So I’m ever the chaser, and I’m ne'er being chased? … there’s astir apt astir a 15-year play successful betwixt wherever I was dominating the Grand Slams.”

It’s a singular statistic. Between 2015 and 2023, Novak Djokovic won 24 retired of the 61 Slams helium was allowed to play. Wimbledon 2020 was cancelled owed to Covid and helium was barred from playing the 2022 US Open and 2022 Australian Open due to the fact that helium refused the vaccine. In that sense, helium was stripped of accidental successful his prime, not dissimilar Muhammad Ali erstwhile helium was barred from boxing for refusing the Vietnam draft.While helium has disassociated himself from the anti-vax movement, Djokovic has defended his decision, saying: “The principles of determination making connected my assemblage are much important than immoderate rubric oregon thing else.”He bushed Roger Federer 27 times and Rafael Nadal 30 times. Not a atrocious grounds for idiosyncratic accused of chasing the duo. Djokovic’s emergence was much analyzable than his peers, adjacent grooming wrong a disused swimming excavation astatine 1 point. His ascent coincided with the beingness of 2 players who seemed unbeatable. And yet helium recovered a mode to bushed them some often capable to rewrite the hierarchy.For astir of the 2026 Australian Open, the received contented was that a SinCaraz last was inevitable and the remainder of the tourney could person been an email.

And yet inevitability remains tennis’s favourite illusion. Alcaraz needed mythical reserves to flight Zverev. Sinner arrived successful the semi-final playing near-perfect tennis. Djokovic arrived carrying doubt, a creaking body, and a gully that had spared his legs but not his reputation.

He was highly fortunate to get 2 byes, thing helium adjacent acknowledged.Read: The agony of being Zverev successful the property of Alcaraz The thought that Djokovic tin ever genuinely beryllium an underdog sounds absurd.

But against a subordinate galore picture arsenic a younger mentation of himself, helium was one. Sinner struck 72 winners. He served 26 aces. For agelong stretches, helium looked similar the amended athlete, the cleaner hitter, the aboriginal arriving connected schedule. Djokovic responded with thing older than tactics: stubbornness elevated to art.Yet Djokovic refused to beryllium bullied, lasting astatine the baseline and redirecting the violence.

A triumph connected Sunday would marque him the outright person successful Grand Slam singles titles with 25, up of Margaret Court.

He is already 2 up of Nadal’s 22. But numbers person agelong since stopped explaining Djokovic. They lone outline the signifier of the thing.“Please let maine to present myself,” Mick Jagger sang successful Sympathy for the Devil. Twenty-two years into his career, Djokovic is inactive introducing himself, and us, to the infinite extent of quality tone and resilience. He was expected to person been gone by now, enjoying margaritas, riding into the sunset with his peers.

But helium refuses to thrust on, adjacent erstwhile it’s evident however hard it is to transportation on.Between the Federer–Nadal domination and the Sinner–Alcaraz emergence, Djokovic someway made winning look inevitable successful some eras. He is the uncommon champion who succeeded astatine some ends of a generational displacement — archetypal by ending the Federer–Nadal duopoly, and past by holding disconnected those meant to win them until Sinner and Alcaraz yet stamped their authority.

Most athletes are fortunate to beryllium the GOAT of 1 era. Djokovic bridged two.One time the assemblage volition springiness out, erstwhile physics volition reassert itself and space-time and the question relation volition collapse. But similar Arya Stark told the God of Death: not today. Today is inactive astir being awestruck by a antheral who has done it each but inactive wanted to punctual america of his abilities.Sunday’s showdown volition determine outright history. Either Carlos Alcaraz volition go the youngest antheral ever to implicit a Career Grand Slam oregon Novak Djokovic volition triumph his 25th large astatine 38.

Surely, you are (d)joking, Mr Novak? But we each cognize the Djoker jokes astir everything other but winning, wherever helium is dormant serious.Maybe the Dean’s woman was right. Lemon and pick don’t beryllium together. Age and dominance don’t mix. Physics and biomechanics should curdle ambition. And yet Novak Djokovic keeps pouring some into the aforesaid cupful and asking the beingness — and the remainder of america — to thigh it in.