Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal schedules: Where will 22-time Grand Slam champions play after Australian Open?

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are level on 22 Grand Slam titles after the 2023 Australian Open – but where will they both be playing next this season?

There will not be a chance to win another major until the French Open, which starts on May 28, but there is plenty of tennis to be played before then.

We look at where Djokovic and Nadal will next be on court and whether either will be playing Indian Wells or the Miami Open.

Djokovic heads to Dubai – or will he?

After his victory at the Australian Open it appears the next stop on the calendar for Djokovic is the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, which starts on February 27.

Djokovic returned to action at the ATP 500 last year after missing the Australian Open due to his vaccinations status. This time around he will be looking to extend his winning start to the season and add a 94th title to his overall tally.

“I’m going to do some medical check-ups in the next few days. Then I’ll be able to talk about it a bit more and understand the situation,” Djokovic said after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

“As it stands today I am still signed in for the Dubai tournament, which is in a month’s time. I hope I’ll be able to come back to the courts in several weeks’ time. Let’s see, I’ll speak to the medical team and then take it from there.”

If Djokovic does play Dubai it’s unclear where he will then go.

Indian Wells tournament director Tommy Haas said at the Australian Open that organisers would try to do “everything” to help Djokovic’s chances of playing there.

“It would be nice to see if we could maybe lift those [restrictions] a little earlier and have him come to play Indian Wells and Miami,” said Haas.

“I think he wants to play, so we should give him the chance. Hopefully we can have him there. I mean, it would be a disgrace in my eyes if he wasn’t coming to these events, or not allowed to come.”

If Djokovic doesn’t play Indian Wells or Miami he could lose his world No. 1 status as although he won’t have any points to defend there will be the opportunity for others to overtake him.

After the ‘Sunshine Double’ it’s onto the clay season, which starts with three ATP 250 events on April 3.

Djokovic is likely to begin his clay campaign at the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo on April 9. Djokovic has not won in Monte Carlo since 2016 and last year was surprisingly beaten in the second round by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Will Nadal make Indian Wells?

Nadal is recovering from a hip flexor injury that derailed his chances of defending his Australian Open title. He was beaten in the second round in Melbourne by Mackenzie McDonald and said afterwards that he would likely be out for six to eight weeks.

Nadal was due to play in Dubai for the first time in 15 years but he will now miss that tournament.

It is also not known if he will make Indian Wells or the Miami Open.

Six weeks from the date Nadal lost to McDonald would be March 1, and Indian Wells starts on March 8. With that timeline – and considering it could take longer for Nadal to recover – it seems unlikely that he will play either Indian Wells or Miami.

Nadal made the final in Indian Wells last year when he lost to Taylor Fritz and suffered a rib injury which saw him miss the start of the clay season. He hasn’t played Miami since 2017 and a return this year might not happen.

More likely is Nadal takes his time to get back into the best shape he can ahead of the clay opener in Monte Carlo, where he is an 11-time champion. Then it will be all eyes on his fitness during the clay season as he gears up for a shot at another French Open title and the chance to regain the lead in the all-time Grand Slam standings.

“Rafa, from what I’ve heard, wants to keep playing,” McEnroe told Eurosport. “You know, he loves the competition, he loves the process, and he loves the sport and we love him for that. But if the body doesn’t hold up and he feels like he can’t get to that type of level health-wise that he needs to, to win majors, then I think he’ll quit.”

Post-Australian Open ATP Tour schedule

• February 6 – Dallas Open (ATP 250 indoor hard), Cordoba Open (ATP 250 clay), Open Sud de France (ATP 250 indoor hard)
• February 13 – Rotterdam Open (ATP 500, indoor hard), Delray Beach Open (ATP 250, outdoor hard), Argentina Open (ATP 250 clay)
• February 20 – Rio Open (ATP 500, clay), Doha Open (ATP 250, outdoor hard), Marseille Open (ATP 250 indoor hard)
• February 27 – Dubai Open (ATP 500, outdoor hard), Mexican Open (ATP 500, outdoor hard), Chile Open (ATP 250, clay)
• March 8 – Indian Wells (ATP 1000, outdoor hard)
• March 22 – Miami Open (ATP 1000, outdoor hard)
• April 9 – Monte-Carlo Masters (ATP 1000, clay)