Djokovic 2026: 20 Wins, 10 Losses and a Beijing Title
The Serbian star ends his season without a Masters quarterfinal for the first time since 2005, with $4,001,862 added to his earnings. Here are all ten defeats.
Asked what the coming weeks would look like, Novak Djokovic answered in a single sentence: “I’m looking forward to a break.” Sport Klub carries the line in its season analysis, and it does not say where he said it. After his loss to Rinky Hijikata in Paris, which we covered earlier, the whole year is now being tallied: wins, defeats, money and ranking.
Twenty wins, ten losses, one trophy
Djokovic closes the 2026 season with a record of 20 wins and 10 losses. His only title came in Beijing, where he beat Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev before the final, and Australia’s Alex de Minaur had to retire from the match for the trophy. Sport Klub counts three straight wins over top-ten players in that run.
The year started better than it ended. In Melbourne, Djokovic knocked out Jannik Sinner and reached the Australian Open final, where Carlos Alcaraz, then the world number one, proved stronger. At Wimbledon he reached the semifinals and was stopped by Sinner. Among the bright moments of the season, Sport Klub also mentions his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
What lies between those high points explains the headline. For the first time since 2005, Djokovic did not reach a single Masters quarterfinal.
Ten losses, ten names
Sport Klub listed every defeat, along with the opponent’s ranking at the time of the match:
- Australian Open final: Carlos Alcaraz (1)
- Indian Wells round of 16: Jack Draper (14)
- Rome second round: Dino Prizmic (79)
- Roland Garros third round: Joao Fonseca (30)
- Wimbledon semifinal: Jannik Sinner (1)
- Cincinnati second round: Tiago Agustin Tirante (50)
- US Open first round: Mariano Navone (49)
- Shanghai second round: Hubert Hurkacz (34)
- Basel second round: Jan-Lennard Struff (47)
- Paris second round: Rinky Hijikata (83)
Only two of the defeats came against the world number one. Five of the ten were against opponents ranked 47th or lower, and the lowest-ranked of them is Hijikata, 83rd. Sport Klub calls this the most painful part of the year and notes that he lost to such players in the previous two seasons as well, but far less often.
On Shanghai, Telegraf adds that Hurkacz won in two sets, and it puts the dip in form after Beijing down to fatigue. On Basel, Sport Klub says the match with Struff was of good quality and that Djokovic did not play badly, but that in earlier years he found a way to come through against opponents like that. Before Hijikata in Paris, he got through a tough duel with Vacherot.
How much did he earn, and where does he finish?
According to Telegraf, Djokovic collected $4,001,862 this season. Going into 2026 he had $196,955,498 in career earnings, so by those figures the total passes $200 million. He will finish the year ranked 12th or 13th in the world.
What comes after the break?
Djokovic has confirmed he will play the 2027 Australian Open, and Sport Klub concludes that his December preparation will be strong. To carry that over into matches, he has to resolve a health problem. He did not say what it is, but he believes he is close to a solution. The analysis also recalls that he had said earlier that indoor conditions suit him better, which did not turn into results in Shanghai, Basel or Paris.
In May, Djokovic turns 40. Beijing showed that the spark is still there, and the list of ten names shows it can no longer be counted on in advance. The answer to how much longer he goes on will be sought, after the break, in Melbourne in 2027.
