While it is already hard to argue against Djokovic being the greatest player of all time, he is currently level with Australian Margaret Court in the metric most easily used to determine the best.

Djokovic, like all top players, places the most emphasis on the Grand Slams and fine-tunes a personal calendar, which has been stripped down in his advancing years, to peak at the most important tournaments.

That move has paid dividends, with Djokovic winning seven of the 10 majors he has been able to play since the start of the 2021 season.

This dominance has enabled him to surpass the tallies of contemporaries Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, moving him alongside Court and providing an opportunity to stand alone with a record-extending 11th men's singles title at this month's Australian Open.

Djokovic is understandably the favourite to win at Melbourne Park again, having not lost a match there since 2018.

"Being on Australian soil, I always play my best and feel my best here," said Djokovic, who said he is not feeling any pain after a recent wrist injury.

"I really want to start the year in the best possible way. It's important to have the right start and launch into the rest of the season."