For the third consecutive year, Novak Djokovic has failed to win a Grand Slam title.

That statistic is far from unusual for most professional tennis players, but not Djokovic, for whom winning major trophies became the norm as his legendary career progressed. Since clinching his 24th Grand Slam crown at the 2023 US Open, the Serb has been in pursuit of number 25; a tally that would see him surpass Margaret Court to hold the outright most of any man or woman in the sport’s history.

Djokovic came agonisingly close to hitting the milestone at this year’s Australian Open, where he dethroned defending champion Jannik Sinner to reach the final before falling to Carlos Alcaraz, who became the youngest Career Grand Slam winner ever. The next opportunity for Djokovic to add to his Grand Slam tally will come at the 2027 Australian Open in January, where Serena Williams’ former coach Rick Macci, speaking exclusively to The Tennis Gazette, isn’t ruling the 39-year-old out.

Rick Macci discusses Novak Djokovic’s chances in Australia

“Obviously, it depends on a lot of things,” said Macci, asked if he thinks Djokovic genuinely has a chance of winning a 25th Grand Slam title. “Number one, he has to have quicker matches. He can’t go five sets at the Australian Open and then go another five sets. It’s not going to happen.

“Number two, he needs to have a pretty good draw. And number three, he needs to beat Alcaraz or Sinner. That could be a slippery slope, but you never count out the heart of a champion.” While Djokovic was able to beat Sinner at Melbourne Park, he lost to the Italian in their second and last meeting of 2026 in the Wimbledon semifinals, suffering a straight-sets defeat. The Australian Open final marked Djokovic’s only clash with Alcaraz this year.

Do you believe Novak Djokovic will ever win another 'big' tournament?

Novak Djokovic suffered three consecutive second-round exits to end his 2026 season…

“Novak knows how to win,” continued Macci, who coached both Serena and Venus Williams in their junior years. “He has all those Grand Slams in his back pocket. I don’t think it’s impossible, but it’s much tougher at the 2027 Australian Open than in 2026, because now people know they have a better chance against him; that’s important.

“They’re not playing the GOAT. They’re playing someone who they think they might have more of a chance against. That changes the mindset of a match.” Djokovic has been on the receiving end of several shocking upset defeats this season, the most recent of which was handed to him by world number 83 Rinky Hijikata at the Paris Masters.

Macci concluded: “The fact that he is still playing at this level at 39, people don’t appreciate the mental fortitude and the motivation, and even how he covers the court. It is something the sport has never seen at this level and maybe won’t again.”

Novak Djokovic’s results at Grand Slams this season

Following his near miss at the Australian Open, Djokovic got his 22nd Roland Garros campaign underway, and it was short-lived. He got through both his first two rounds at the clay-court major in four sets, but was eliminated by Joao Fonseca, the Brazilian youngster who has been tipped to join Sinner and Alcaraz at the top of men’s tennis.

Fonseca earned a statement win over Djokovic, coming back from two sets down in a near-five-hour marathon, handing the three-time French Open champion his earliest exit at the tournament since 2009. With the disappointment in Paris behind him, Djokovic bounced back at Wimbledon, where he reached the semifinals in an extraordinary fashion.

Djokovic came out on top in the longest Wimbledon quarterfinal ever against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, beating him in five hours and 15 minutes. That battle ultimately cost Djokovic in the semifinals against Sinner, who was largely untroubled en route to his second Wimbledon title.

The final campaign of Djokovic’s 2026 Grand Slam season was the shortest, with world number 49 Mariano Navone delivering a huge upset in round one of the US Open, beating the great man in five sets. Navone’s victory marked the first time Djokovic had been beaten in the first round of a Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open.