Novak Djokovic 'ready to go to work' after leg injury - but when is he returning and will Andy Murray be with him?
Published 13/02/2025 at 16:40 GMT
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Novak Djokovic suffered a leg injury at the Australian Open that forced him to retire from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is set to be back on court this month after being given the "green light" and says he is "ready to go to work". Will Djokovic have Andy Murray as his coach when he next plays though? Murray coached the Serb at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic
Image credit: Getty Images
Novak Djokovic could be set to make a quicker-than-expected return to tennis this month.
Djokovic saw his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title ended by a leg injury that forced him to retire from his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev.
Djokovic did not give a timescale for his return but said at the time: "I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear that I had.
"Towards the end of that first set, I just started feeling more and more pain. It was too much, I guess, to handle for me at the moment. Unfortunate ending, but I tried."
It now looks as though Djokovic will be back on court soon, but when is he returning and will Andy Murray still be on his coaching team?
Djokovic set for Doha
Djokovic looks set to play at the ATP 500 Qatar Open in Doha, which starts on February 17.
It will be the first time that Djokovic has played the tournament since 2018. He defended his title a year before in 2017, beating Murray, who was then world No. 1, in the final.
Djokovic pulled out of Davis Cup duty with Serbia following his injury at the Australian Open but has said his recovery is going well.
"There is no more rupture in the muscle, the injury is almost 100% repaired and I am ready to go to work for more victories," the 37-year-old told newspaper Vijesti.
"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."
Djokovic’s quick return to the court is something of a surprise given that in the last few years he has cut down on his schedule and focused most of his efforts around the four Grand Slams.
Djokovic will be joined in Doha by world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and recent Rotterdam champion Carlos Alcaraz as the Serb bids to win the 100th title of his career.
"I hope that the 100th title can come to Doha now," said Djokovic.
"I've been chasing it for a long time. Thank God I was able to recover quickly. I’ve had 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 new things.
"I hope that the 100th trophy can come to Doha right now. I’ve been chasing it for a long time – it will come when it should come."
Reflecting on his performance at the Australian Open, Djokovic added: "I think that the level of tennis that I reached in Australia is promising for the rest of the season.
"Australia as a Grand Slam is special in my career. Last year was a bit turbulent: I won the Olympic gold which I was waiting for for a long time and which was the main goal, I played the Wimbledon final, but I had an injury and played with a lot of ups and downs. I didn't have the continuity of a high level of tennis throughout the season.
"So this season I was looking to start with at least a satisfactory level of play and I think I achieved that. Of course, it can always be better, but the performance in Melbourne gives me an additional motivation."
Will Murray be with Djokovic?
It has not been confirmed whether coach Murray will join Djokovic in Doha.
Murray coached Djokovic for the first time at the Australian Open and there were positive noises from both sides about the relationship during the fortnight.
Speaking after his loss to Zverev, Djokovic said he was unsure on the next step with Murray.
"I don’t know. We both were disappointed with what just happened, so we didn’t talk about the future steps," he said.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
"We are so fresh off the court. I’ll definitely have a chat with Andy and thank him for being here with me, give him my feedback, which is, of course, positive, and see how he feels and we [will] make the next step.Â
"We are still hot-headed and disappointed, so it’s kind of hard to switch the page and start talking about what the next steps are. I think we both need to cool off a little bit and then we’ll have a chat."
It has been reported by the Times that Murray is set to continue with Djokovic and their next meeting point could be Indian Wells, which starts on March 15.
Indian Wells, which is the first ATP 1000 of the season, is followed by the ATP 1000 Miami Open, starting on March 19, and then the clay season.
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