"Novak is going to bet everything on Melbourne": Rennae Stubbs warns Alcaraz and Sinner
The season is not quite over yet with the Davis Cup this week, but a good number of players are now in the middle of their off-season, with new goals set for 2026.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, both absent in Bologna, will make the Australian Open their top priority to start the season, and will logically be the two favorites for the final victory.
However, former player Rennae Stubbs believes that Novak Djokovic, the record holder for the number of titles in Melbourne (10), could once again cause them trouble:
"Novak has his eyes set on Australia. He didn't care about the ATP Finals, he didn't play them. I think he is going to invest all his time and all his energy to give it his all one last time and win there.
He is the only one capable of disrupting the plans of Carlos and Jannik. Carlos has never reached the final there. Novak crushed him this year. Carlos played a very good set, but overall Novak was the better player.
I think he will arrive in Melbourne telling himself: 'I know I can reach the semi-finals, the final, and I know I have an opportunity to win one last time.'
I don't think he can beat someone like Jannik on that court, he has become too strong. But it might be the only place where Novak can do it.
There are also injuries. An injury can happen to any player, and there have been some players who have won a Grand Slam because another player got injured."
Australian Open 
