In Melbourne, Novak Djokovic looked like he was on a mission to clinch a record-extending 11th Australian Open title. The Serbian defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals to set up a semi-final clash vs Alexander Zverev. But after losing the first set vs the German, he withdrew due to injury and was booed by the Rod Laver Arena crowd.
He was also in visible pain during his win against Alcaraz, but was accused by fans, including legend John McEnroe, of faking it to catch his opponent off-guard. During the post-match conference, he revealed that he sustained a muscle tear, and also shared a photo of his scan on social media. Later, ESPN analysed the image and came to the verdict that he would be absent for a ‘couple months’ due to a torn hamstring, and could return to action in May, at Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic to make early return
But now it looks like he is set to make an earlier return and according to Sportal, Djokovic was in Belgrade last week, and received the necessary treatment and therapy. The 37-year-old is reportedly feeling better and has decided to make his comeback at the Qatar Open, although he hasn’t begun training yet. He is expected to travel to Doha to get used to the conditions and prepare for the ATP 500 tournament.
Djokovic hasn’t been able to win a single Grand Slam title since his victory at the 2023 US Open. Last year, he only bagged gold at the Paris Olympics.
There are also rumours that he might retire after this season. He also recently revealed in an interview that he is being pressured by his father to retire. Speaking to GQ Sports, he said, “I feel like people are already writing my tennis obituary. The media, the fans… and I don’t know if he’ll like me saying this, but I’ll say it anyway: the first one doing it is my father.”
“My father has been trying to get me to retire for some time, but he hasn’t been insistent. He respects my decision to move forward and, of course, understands why I want to continue, but he says to me: ‘What else do you want to do?’ He understands the amount and intensity of the pressure and tension out there, and the stress that affects my health, my body, and consequently, everyone around me, including him. That’s why he told me: ‘My son, start thinking about how you want to end this,” he added.
