Novak Djokovic has given careful thought as to how he wants to retire, but has no plans to bring down the curtain on a legendary career ahead of the Australian Open.

Djokovic will face wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy in his opening game at Melbourne Park on Sunday, with Andy Murray a fresh face in his corner ahead of the tournament.

The Serbian has won the men's singles title the most times of any player at the Australian Open in the Open Era. He is also one of two players to win 10 or more titles at a single grand slam event in that span, along with Rafael Nadal (14 at Roland-Garros).

But Djokovic, who turns 38 this May, has seen his long-time rivals melt into retirement, with Murray, Nadal and Roger Federer all calling time on their illustrious careers.

While many would like to see the 24-time grand slam winner continue his career for as long as possible, Djokovic said the message was getting through, but he is less concerned about the timeframe than the method.

"But I am thinking about how I want to end it and when I want to end it. No, I’m going to take that back. I do think about more how than when," said Djokovic.

"How would I like to end it? I feel if I start to lose more and feel like there is a bigger gap, that I start to have more challenges in overcoming those big obstacles in big slams, then I'll probably call it a day.

"But right now, I'm still okay, keep continuing. In order for me to keep going, I have to reduce the amount of tournaments I play and just focus on a select few.

"Both publicly and privately, a lot of people told me they think it's best if you leave on a high - which I understand, don't get me wrong.

"But if I am still physically capable, and I still feel like I can beat the best players in the world in Grand Slams - why would I want to stop now?"

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Among those tipped to challenge Djokovic for the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup is Carlos Alcaraz, who won the French Open and Wimbledon last year.

At 21 years and 266 days on the day of the men’s singles final, Alcaraz could become the youngest male player of all-time to achieve the career grand slam.

The Spaniard has also formed a blossoming rivalry with Jannik Sinner, who scooped the other two grand slam titles during the 2024 season.

Between them, they have won six grand slams, and Djokovic believes it is only a matter of time before he sees his record of 24 titles either matched or eclipsed.

"People say my records will never be broken," said Djokovic. "I doubt that. I mean, Carlos could already be the next guy; even Jannik.

"If they take care of the body, if they do things in a proper way, focus on longevity, focus on the long-term, then they can do it.

"Carlos has done something no-one has done in history for such a young age, so the odds are with him. He is going to complete his [career] slam very soon.

"He's even said himself, he wants to make history. He wants to be 'the best in history'. I respect that kind of mentality of: 'Hey, I think I got the goods'. But maybe, it's a little bit early for him to think about history."