MELBOURNE, Australia – It’s been five days since the start of the Australian Open and Novak Djokovic has just emerged from the shadows of the Rod Laver Arena players’ tunnel for his first pre-tournament training session. He walks to his bench and dumps out enough luggage for a two-week vacation before lacing up his boots and deliberately pirouetting toward the net, enjoying a 360-degree view of the pitch and stadium that have defined his illustrious career.

For a brief moment, the unmistakable mischievous grin that has become an almost permanent feature of Djokovic’s face is replaced by a satisfied smile, giving the impression to a small group of media scattered in the stands that he has been more than happy these two weeks otherwise will enjoy.

“It’s a 20th anniversary,” Djokovic proudly exclaimed at the start of his pre-tournament press conference, referencing his two decades of competition Down Under. “In 2005 it was the first time I qualified for a Grand Slam and I played against Marat Safin on Center Court. It was a pretty quick match for me. He later won the tournament, but it was a very unique experience that allowed me to dream big and continue to believe that one day I can win a Slam on the same court… just beautiful memories that I have can experience again and again.

There is hardly a tennis rival that Djokovic has not defeated on the legendary blue Center Court at Melbourne Park. From his long-standing, epic rivalries with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to the brash, supposed up-and-comers like Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas; When they had a racquet in hand, Djokovic reigned supreme over them at one point en route to a record 10 Australian Open triumphs. But as Djokovic begins his 21st tour on the ATP circuit at the age of 37, the biggest challenger to his glorious career becomes distant: Father Time. It is an opponent by whom every great before him – whether tennis or otherwise – has been humiliated at some point. It’s something that will inevitably catch up with him too.

Twelve months ago, Djokovic suffered probably the most brutal defeat of his Australian Open career on this court, a defeat in the semifinals against eventual champion Jannik Sinner. After the defeat, many pundits began speculating whether this was the beginning of the end for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, but this reckless reasoning quickly proved nonsensical when he reached the Wimbledon final six months later following knee surgery reached. Then, four weeks later, under the blazing Paris sun, he pulled off a feat, defeating Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz and adding an elusive Olympic gold medal to his bulging trophy cabinet.

“He won the tennis game after winning the Olympic gold,” his longtime rival John Isner jokingly said on the “Nothing Major” podcast in December. “He’s still going on, I know that, but he’s ticked the last box of his career. It was like he finished the video game.”

Djokovic has repeatedly defied age conventions and expectations and ridiculed the many tennis writers who wrote his sporting obituary prematurely. But even the seemingly indestructible and invincible Djokovic will eventually reach a point where his body finally screams enough. Even he will eventually succumb to that pesky little thing we call aging. When will that time come? Even he doesn’t know.

“The way I feel today, I still believe I can be strong in the years to come,” Djokovic told reporters before the Brisbane International last month. “I still love this sport and I still love competing. I want to play more tournaments this year than last season. How long this will last or how long I will be motivated to keep going is a question “unpredictable.”

One can only guess where the end of the road lies for Djokovic. It could be next month, next year or the next Olympic cycle. Two-time Australian Open champion Jim Courier believes there is “nothing in his game that suggests he is incapable of winning multiple majors in the future”, while others think he could sail off into the sunset if he still wins a slam – no. 25 – and with it the overall record in the majors, which he was desperately chasing.

However, history teaches us that this end can come frighteningly quickly. Both Nadal and Murray, Djokovic’s new coach, can certainly confirm this. Could this be the last time Djokovic competes seriously on Australian soil? Perhaps.

But the fact that he remains a real contender for the title – he is seeded seventh in Melbourne this fortnight and is the third favorite among bookmakers at the start of the tournament – should not be taken for granted at this point in his career be viewed.

Tennis has been blessed with a wealth of icons over the last quarter century, but it can no longer be said that no one has played the sport at a higher level or achieved greater success than Djokovic. And perhaps that’s because his career has normalized – trying to predict what his ultimate Grand Slam title might look like, rather than acknowledging the arduous journey to each of those triumphs and celebrating how they unfolded.

Proof that its longevity is unparalleled? Look at the ridiculousness of his tennis resume after turning 35. If Djokovic’s career had begun on this birthday just over two and a half years ago, he would already be the most successful player on the ATP Tour, with four Grand Slam titles, six grand final appearances, two ATP Finals titles and 59 weeks as number 1 in the world. 1 and the aforementioned Olympic gold medal.

Australia has always had a delicate and somewhat complicated relationship with the Serbian megastar. It was here in 2008 that the newly minted Djokovic introduced himself to the world by defeating France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final of the Australian Open and winning his first Grand Slam title. Djokovic added another nine Norman Brookes Challenge Cups to his resume over the next 15 years, but despite the overwhelming success, he never came close to rivals Federer and Nadal on the scale of love and fanfare from the general public. This was made worse in 2021 when his Australian visa was canceled and he was expelled from the country on the eve of the tournament for breaching strict COVID-19 entry requirements.

But regardless of complicated opinions about Djokovic, the athlete or the man, these are probably the last tournaments of his legendary career. Tennis and sports in general are better when Djokovic competes. It’s unlikely we’ll ever see anyone like him again.