The changing of the guard in men’s tennis has long been on an asymptotic course, getting closer and closer to the inevitable but not quite materialising.

Top seed Novak Djokovic was drawn Thursday against a qualifier or lucky loser to begin his bid for an 11th Australian Open crown, and could meet fellow Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in the third round.

Italian Jannik Sinner's climb towards the top of men's tennis could hardly be described as sluggish unless of course a direct comparison is made with Spanish phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz.

The 36-year-old from Serbia defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year's final for a record-extending 10th Melbourne crown then added the French and US Open titles to his collection in 2023.

Novak Djokovic suffered a frustrating fitness saga as a wrist problem led to the Serb's upset 6-4, 6-4 loss to Australia's Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals of the United Cup in Perth on Wednesday.

Novak Djokovic received treatment for a wrist issue during his United Cup match against Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday but the world number one battled through for a 6-1 6-7(3) 6-1 win that drew Serbia level with Czech Republic in the $10 million mixed team event.

Novak Djokovic got the party started for 2024 as he sealed a 2-1 win for Serbia over China near the stroke of midnight on Sunday at the United Cup in Perth.

The world number one holds no grudges heading into the mixed team event nearly two years after being refused entry to the country over his stance on Covid-19 vaccinations

Andy Murray conceded Saturday he longed for the chance to play again on the big stage against superstars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

The Serbian superstar is the king of the Melbourne Park hard courts, winning the Australian Open a record 10 times, with an 11th in his sights next month.

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, makes his comeback after a near year-long injury absence at the Australian Open warm-up event in Brisbane starting Sunday.

Novak Djokovic has no plans to hang up his racket any time soon and is hoping he might be able to emulate American football great Tom Brady by extending his career well past his 40th birthday, the 36-year-old Serbian said on Tuesday.

Novak Djokovic said he accepts responsibility for Serbia's Davis Cup semi-final defeat by Italy on Saturday after failing to convert three match points against Jannik Sinner.

A "proud" Jannik Sinner beat world number one Novak Djokovic twice in one day to send Italy into the Davis Cup final with a 2-1 win over Serbia on Saturday in Malaga.

Novak Djokovic was furious after being asked to undergo a dope test shortly before Serbia's Davis Cup win over Great Britain, although the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said Saturday it was standard practice and he had not been singled out.

Djokovic was enraged as some fans tried to drown out his victory speech with drums, which the superstar said he felt he had to respond to.

Serbia are one of the eight surviving nations from September's group phase and will face Britain on Thursday.

At 36 years old Djokovic is still tennis' number one player by some distance and he has racked up a host of new records this season, taking his Grand Slam tally to 24 and finishing top of the year-end world rankings for the eighth time.

Novak Djokovic closed in on a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title on Saturday after sweeping past Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2 in a dominating semi-final display he hailed as his best of the tournament.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion needed just one win or a defeat for young rival Carlos Alcaraz in order to secure top spot in the ATP rankings for 2023 and prevailed in a three-hour Green Group clash with spirited debutant Rune.