(January 24, 2026) Novak Djokovic is still in the hunt for major No. 25. On Saturday, the world No. 4 won his 400th match at a major tournament and his 102nd in Australia.
He beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Saturday night in the third round of the Australian Open.
Djokovic has won the Australian Open 10 times, more than anyone else.
The 38-year-old Djokovic apologized for a lapse in judgment in the seventh game of the second set, when he hit the ball away, and it just missed hitting a ball girl at the net post.
“I managed to have a ‘good’ fall if you can say so, I could protect myself,” Djokovic said of the tumble during the match. “Things could have been pretty ugly.”
“I must say, it’s been a great start of the tournament,” he said. “Last year I learned a lesson. I got too excited too early in some of the Grand Slams … getting injured three out of four.”
Djokovic, who reached all four major semifinals, says that Sinner and Alcaraz are on a different level, “they’re playing on a different level right now,” he added: “I’m still trying to give these young guys a push for their money.”
Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Australian Open ahead of her third-round match against Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis on Saturday.
The two-time Australian Open champion announced it on social media : “to address something my body needs attention for after my last match.”
“I was so excited to keep going and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart,” Osaka posted, “but I can’t risk doing any further damage so I can get back on the court.”
The tournament commented that Osaka had a left abdominal issue.
“It’s an injury I’ve had a couple of times before, and I thought I could push through it,” she said. “I played my last match with some pain, and I thought maybe if I gave myself a break before my match today, I would be able to handle it. But I warmed up, and it got a lot worse.”
“Obviously I think coming back from pregnancy (July 2023), my body changed quite a lot,” she said. “So this is something I have to be really cautious of.”
“I’m just grateful to be otherwise very healthy,” she said, “and I hope that I’m able to play some good tennis for the rest of the year.”
