Tennis superstar and devout Orthodox Christian Novak Djokovic celebrated Christmas with his family in Melbourne on Tuesday as he gears up for the 2025 Australian Open.

While most Christians celebrate Christmas Day on December 25, many of the Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus on January 7.

Djokovic, who is aiming to claim his 25th career Grand Slam – and incredibly, his 11th title at Melbourne Park when the tournament begins on Sunday – posted shots of his Christmas celebration to social media.

Peace of God, Christ is born! Merry Christmas,’ he captioned the pics.

The first shot featured himself and wife Jelena in front of a Christmas tree. The second was similar, but included his two children, Stefan and Tara.

The much-anticipated quest for Novak Djokovic’s 100th career title was unexpectedly postponed at the ATP 250 Brisbane International. The Serbian legend’s run came to an abrupt halt in the quarterfinals, falling to Reilly Opelka, whose powerful serve and surprising versatility proved too much for Djokovic to handle.

Opelka’s lethal mix of unyielding service games and sharp baseline solutions left Djokovic visibly frustrated, derailing the 37-year-old’s ideal start to the 2025 season. This loss raises questions about Djokovic’s readiness for the Australian Open, where he will aim to solidify his status as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) and counter rising stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic, who is due to team up with former British No 1 and old rival Andy Murray as his new coach later this month, was bested in an opening set tie-breaker and then broken in the fourth game of the second – shortly after spurning an opportunity of his own on the Opelka serve

It’s far from ideal preparation for the first Grand Slam of the 2025 season for the record 24-time champion Djokovic, the 37-year-old appearing here in his first tournament since mid-October.

For Opelka, this is unquestionably the biggest win of his career to date. The 27-year-old American has won four ATP 250 tournaments and had a career-high ranking of world No 17 in 2022 before injury troubles have limited him to playing only one match over the past two years.

“He is the greatest tennis player the sport has ever seen,” Opelka said of Djokovic, following his statement win. “It’s difficult being in Novak’s position… he can scout me or his opponents all day long, but the reality is that we have nothing to lose coming in against him.

JAKARTA – Novak Djokovic’s efforts to win the 100th ATP Tour title strengthened on Thursday, January 2, 2025, when the Serbian player defeated fellow veteran Gael Monfils 6-3 and 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of Brisbane International 2025.

The 37-year-old, who wants to join Roger Federer (103) and Jimmyctions (199) as players who have reached the milestone, advanced in the first set after a break in the fourth game.

Djokovic then advanced again in the second set to extend his winning streak against the French player to 20-0, nearly two decades after their first meeting in the opening round of the 2005 US Open.

“We’ve been playing for years. I’ve known you since I was 15 years old.