India, Jan. 16 -- "Tank half empty" and "gassed out".

Novak Djokovic signed off the previous two Grand Slams muttering these terms that ring a surprising bell coming from him.

Surprising, given that the Serb has been the epitome of fitness, endurance and physicality in tennis over the past decade.

Surprising also given that despite the reality of an ageing 38-year-old body denting those aspects, he pocketed Slams in his mid-thirties and progressed to the semi-finals of all four last year.

It's this strange, paradoxical situation that the 24-time Slam champion finds himself in as he begins another season at the 2026 Australian Open, seeking the elusive 25th and to shake up a recurring theme of late. Good enough to still beat 98 out of ...