The China Mail - Desire burns bright but uncertainty abounds for Djokovic

The 37-year-old Serbian came to Melbourne, where he won a record 10 titles, looking to break the all-time Grand Slam record of Margaret Court.

He is tied with the Australian on 24 majors, as has been the case since he won the 2023 US Open.

His bid for history is still on hold after shaking hands with German world number two Alexander Zverev after losing a first set tiebreak, unable to continue with a leg muscle tear.

Some fans booed as Djokovic ambled out Rod Laver Arena.

Asked afterwards if this could be his last year on the blue hard courts of Melbourne Park, the former world number one said: "I don't know. There is a chance.

"Who knows? I'll just have to see how the season goes," said Djokovic, who will be ranked sixth next week and who has seen rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both retire in recent years.

He added: "I want to keep going, but whether I'm going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I'm not sure."

Djokovic fulfilled a career ambition by clinching Olympic gold last year but he did not win a major, with form, injury and younger rivals all getting in his way.

He pulled out a trump card for Melbourne, where he has had his greatest successes, hiring another former rival in Andy Murray as his coach.

Asked if their partnership would continue, he was non-committal.

"I don't know. You know, we both were disappointed with what just happened, so we didn't talk about the future steps," he said.

"We are so fresh off the court. I'll definitely have a chat with Andy and thank him for being here with me.

"You know, give him my feedback, which is of course positive, and see how he feels and we make the next step."

- 'I'll keep going' -

Djokovic will first need to get healthy.

He had his thigh heavily strapped in beating world number three Carlos Alcaraz, 16 years his junior, in the quarter-finals on Tuesday in impressive fashion.

He said on Friday that "I don't know" the extent of the injury, with Doha on February 17-22 looming next on his schedule.

"Whether I'm going to play it or not, it really does depend on how quickly I recover. But I had success with quick recoveries in the past. Let's see."

The next Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, is in May-June.

Getting that all-time record will again be on his radar and he has won three Roland Garros titles, the last in 2023.

Djokovic appeared to be growing ominously into the Australian Open before injury struck.

He needed four sets to win his first two matches in Melbourne but then rolled back the years in the next two, and proved that class is permanent when he defeated four-time major champion Alcaraz in four sets.

He acknowledged that injuries were beginning to mount.

He had an operation on his right knee after being forced to withdraw ahead of his Roland Garros quarter-final in June.

He roared back to make the final at Wimbledon, losing to Alcaraz, and clinched gold back in the French capital in August.

The desire evidently burns bright, even if the body is increasingly creaking.

"It's not like I'm worrying approaching every Grand Slam now whether I'm going to get injured or not, but statistics are against me in a way in the last couple of years," he said.

"So it is true that, you know, getting injured quite a bit last few years.

"But I'll keep going. I'll keep striving to win more Slams.

"And as long as I feel that I want to put up with all of this, I'll be around."

Z.Huang--ThChM