Novak Djokovic’s preparations for another season on the ATP Tour are already underway in his new home of Greece.
Djokovic had added Mark Kovacs to his coaching team as he looks to win the 25th Grand Slam of his career.
The star is expected to return to competitive action at the Australian Open, a tournament he has won a record ten times.
Djokovic trained with a teenage star ahead of the 2026 season, who said the Serbian disclosed some secrets about his game.
The ‘secrets’ Novak Djokovic revealed to Rafael Pagonis
On Instagram, Greek rising star Rafael Pagonis shared details of his practice session with Djokovic in Greece.
Pagonis currently plays in the Boys’ 14 & Under and he currently holds a win rate of 82% on the ITF in 2025.
Novak Djokovic would be the undisputed GOAT if he won Grand Slam number 25 – could anyone argue otherwise?
Speaking about working alongside Djokovic, the 13-year-old said: “Today I had a dream that I was invited to play tennis with the GOAT Novak Djokovic.”
“He was so kind, generous, and he told me the secrets of his return. Please don’t wake me up from this dream! Thank you Novak for this out of the world experience! See you soon.”
The Serbian’s return of serve is widely considered to be one of the best the sport has ever seen, and it’s a major reason he has won as many Grand Slams as he has.
If Pagonis can harness even a fraction of the power of Djokovic’s return of serve then he could be set for a very impressive career.
Novak Djokovic’s chances of winning the Australian Open discussed
Djokovic looks slightly behind Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at major tournaments, but former world number one Sergiy Stakhovsky believes he has a good chance at the 2026 Australian Open.
Speaking to Tennis 365, he said: “Novak has every chance of winning another Grand Slam. I would even say he has a better chance than Zverev. This year, he has reached four semi-finals. I think he can win anywhere.
What does Novak Djokovic need to change to win a 25th Grand Slam title?
“His excellent statistics in Australia give him plenty of reasons to think about how he will approach this tournament and what will happen next.”
Djokovic last won the Australian Open in 2023, when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the final.
