Novak Djokovic's quest for a 25th grand slam title will begin at the Brisbane International. (AAP: Lukas Coch)
In short:
Novak Djokovic has announced he will play in the Brisbane International ahead of next year's Australian Open.
The Brisbane International field features Nick Kyrgios, defending champion Grigor Dimitrov, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe, Matteo Berrettini, Sebastian Korda, Gael Monfils, Alexei Popyrin and Jordan Thompson.
What's next?
The Brisbane International will begin on December 29 at Pat Rafter Arena.
Novak Djokovic has signed up to play the Brisbane International as the superstar Serb seeks to ramp up his bid for a record 25th grand slam title.
Djokovic joins a Brisbane field featuring Nick Kyrgios, defending champion Grigor Dimitrov, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe, Matteo Berrettini, Sebastian Korda, Gael Monfils, Alexei Popyrin and Jordan Thompson.
The ATP event runs from December 29 until January 5 at Pat Rafter Arena, with the Australian Open to begin on January 12.
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Djokovic is coming off a frustrating season, with 2024 marking the first year since 2017 in which he failed to win a major.
The 37-year-old, now ranked seventh in the world, is one trophy away from surpassing Margaret Court's joint-record of 24 grand slam singles crowns.
Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz in Paris to win his first Olympic gold medal, joining Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams as only the fifth tennis player to complete the fabled career golden slam.
Rafter, a two-time grand slam winner, said this summer's Brisbane International shaped to be a brilliant event.
"I expect it to be one of the best years we've ever had," he said,
"This is not just preparation, this is a fair dinkum tournament and to be here preparing (for the Australian Open) is what you should be doing.
"A lot of guys will chase the money in the Middle East, or something like that.
"It's about winning, preparing and playing as many matches as you can."
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