Novak Djokovic addresses his increase in injuries as he confirms return date
Novak Djokovic has provided an update on the progress of his recovery from the injury that ended his campaign at the 2025 Australian Open.
The Serbian has revealed he will stick to his schedule and is planning to return to action at the Qatar Open in Doha.
Djokovic suffered a torn hamstring in his left leg in the first set of his Australian Open quarter-final victory against Carlos Alcaraz.
While the tennis icon played through the injury to beat Alcaraz, it forced him to retire after losing the opening set of his semi-final match with Alexander Zverev.
The 37-year-old is set to make his first appearance at the Qatar Open since 2019, having won the event in 2016 and 2017.
The hard-court event in Doha has been upgraded from ATP 250 to 500 level for this year’s edition, which will be staged from February 17 to 22.
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov have all entered the tournament.
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In an interview with Vijesti, Djokovic divulged that he has made a swift recovery from his hamstring issue.
“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 (translated from Serbian).
“I have the green light from the medical team that I can train, that I can prepare. The tournament in Doha is scheduled for seven days now, so I’m sticking to the schedule. Thank God, I was able to recover quickly.
“I’ve had a bit more injuries lately than I did in the first 15 years of my career. This probably comes with age, but my body still listens to me, I still have a burning flame and a desire to achieve and achieve new things.
“That’s why I hope for success, both next week in Doha and in the rest of the season.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion also spoke about the dedication and sacrifices he has made in his life.
“Either you progress or you regress, at least I have always done things with maximum dedication, one hundred percent when it comes to tennis,” Djokovic added.
“For that, I always had the support of the people who are the most important in my life, even though it brings with it some consequences and affects relationships in the family and with friends. You have to make many sacrifices in that context.”
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