Novak Djokovic insists he is not Australian Open favourite and backs youngsters to shine

Australian Open
Novak Djokovic at Paris Masters

Novak Djokovic has downplayed suggestions that he is the favourite for the Australian Open later this month.

Djokovic is the defending champion, and has generally been quite dominant on hard courts, particularly over Rafael Nadal who he beat in the final of the ATP Cup final on Sunday.

However, the Serbian star is certainly not taking anything for granted, and believes it is a wide open field in Melbourne.

“The last hard court Grand Slam was in New York, and Rafa won it,” Djokovic said when asked if he is the favourite for the Australian Open.

“So I think it’s really open the Australian Open or any other slam. I don’t think there are really clear favourites.

“You have obviously [Roger] Federer, Nadal, myself because of the experience and everything and the rankings that we get to be probably named the top three favourites.

RELATED: ‘I’ll remember this for the rest of my life,’ says Novak Djokovic after Serbia win ATP Cup

“But then you have [Daniil] Medvedev, [Stefanos] Tsitsipas, Dominic Thiem that are really showing some amazing tennis.

“The London Masters (ATP Finals) was an example where they showed that they matured to the big stage, that they can challenge the best players in the world and win against them.”

Follow us on Twitter @T365Official and like our Facebook page.

Novak Djokovic Rafael Nadal Roger Federer

Latest