India, Feb. 7 -- The Novak Djokovic farewell tour swept into Melbourne Park earlier this month.

For a tennis world that had already moved on to its next great battle, the display of love and affection for a 38-year-old ten-time former champion seemed like a fitting and heart-warming sideshow to the inevitable Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz main event.

So, the Djokovic entourage turned up in huge numbers for a swansong that could end at any moment. Though he was still good enough to survive into the later rounds, a quarterfinal or at best a semi-final appearance was all his legions of fans were hoping for. A 25th Grand Slam title was a bridge too far, and a victory against either Sinner or Alcaraz at the peak of their powers seemed out ...