Novak Djokovic has been given the green light to compete at next week’s Qatar Open, where he is bidding to win his 100th ATP title at the age of 37.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played on the Tour since retiring from his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open last month. Djokovic was forced to call it quits due to what he described as a torn muscle in his hamstring area but was booed off the court by fans. A day after his retirement, he uploaded a scan of his injured left hamstring on social media in response to those doubting the severity of his injury.
Giving an update on his fitness during an interview with Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti, Djokovic confirmed his upcoming return to competitive tennis. He has played two tournaments so far this season. Besides his run to the last four of the Australian Open where he beat Carlos Alcaraz, he also reached the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International before suffering a surprise loss to Reilly Opelka.
“There is no more rupture in the muscle, the injury is almost 100 percent repaired and I am ready to go to new work victories,” he said.
“I have the green light from the medical team to train. The tournament in Doha is scheduled in seven days so I stick to the schedule. Thank God, I managed to recover quickly.”
Djokovic has been troubled by injury setbacks in recent months. Last year he tore his meniscus at the French Open and was forced to withdraw from the event but he managed to recover in time to play at Wimbledon. Then at the end of the season, he skipped the ATP Finals due to what was described as an ‘ongoing injury.’
“I have had a little more injuries recently than in the first 15 years of my career,” Djokovic admits.
“That probably comes with age, but still the body listens to me. I still have a burning desire and a desire to achieve new things. That’s why I hope for success next week in Doha and the rest of the season.”
The Serbian is ranked seventh in the PIF ATP rankings and is the second-oldest player in the top 100 after Gael Monfils. He currently holds the record for most weeks spent as world No.1 and the most wins over top 10 players.
Djokovic could achieve another milestone in Doha should he win the tournament. He would become only the third man in the Open Era to have won a 100th ATP title after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer.
“I hope that the 100th trophy can come to Doha right now, I’ve been chasing it for a long time, since October last year,” he said.
“As for the Grand Slam, it’s a bigger challenge, a more difficult undertaking, but I believe I can (win them) – if I didn’t believe I could compete at that level with the best tennis players in the world, I wouldn’t continue to compete. I think I’m proved with the victory against Alcaraz at the Australian Open that I can still compete for the greatest trophies.”
Djokovic faces a stiff task in trying to win the Qatar Open with six out of the world’s top 10 players entered into the draw. Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev are all set to play. The tournament will begin next Monday.
