Novak Djokovic‘s fans will be concerned about his fitness before next month’s Sunshine Double after the former ATP world No. 1 looked to be limping as he entered an airport in Doha.
Djokovic’s appearance at the 2025 Qatar Open was his first since retiring after the first set of his 2025 Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev due to a tear in his left hamstring that became too challenging to manage.
Despite many expecting him to be out for several weeks, Djokovic recovered strongly and played in the singles and doubles in Doha alongside Fernando Verdasco, who officially retired from professional tennis at the tournament.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion lost in the opening round of the Qatar Open to Matteo Berrettini. Djokovic refused to offer excuses after the defeat, saying he felt good physically throughout the match and had simply lost to a better player on the day.
However, the video of Djokovic casts some doubt about that. Admittedly, the clip is brief, but the Serbian clearly seems to be limping and uncomfortable as he approaches the entrance of the airport in Doha.
How Djokovic was moving in the clip means a recurrence of his injury from the Australian Open, or it flaring up, is possible. Without further details, that is the most likely explanation for his awkward movement at this stage.
The tennis legend did return to the court much quicker than most expected. Djokovic has managed several swift recoveries in the past, but this might have been a case of him coming back slightly too quickly. However, that is unknown at this stage.
An injury recurrence would disrupt Djokovic’s plans to play more tournaments this season compared to previous years. He has played a limited schedule in the last few years to focus on the four Grand Slams.
Djokovic’s failure to win any of the four majors made some feel that not playing as many tournaments caught up with him. The seven-time Wimbledon winner planned to keep himself sharp by competing in events like the Qatar Open.
He is also on the 2025 Miami Open entry list, which will mark his first appearance at the tournament since 2019. Djokovic has won the title in Florida six times, and the event’s hard courts suit his game perfectly.
There is guaranteed to be a new champion at next month’s Miami Open because of Jannik Sinner’s suspension until May 4th after reaching a settlement in his doping case with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Sinner will miss four Masters 1000 tournaments during that time: The Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, Monte Carlo Masters, and Madrid Open. His first event back will be on home soil at the Italian Open if he chooses to play.
Djokovic created headlines with his reaction to Sinner’s case. He said many players in the locker room felt there was favoritism because of the 23-year-old being a top player but also accepted that Sinner was innocent.
Sinner and Djokovic often have fascinating matches, but fans must wait until at least May to see them compete against each other again.
