Novak Djokovic believes his win over Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open shows he can compete for the biggest trophies
Novak Djokovic is aiming for his 100th career title at the 2025 Qatar Open, after a title-less 2024, which saw him clinch the Olympic Gold medal.
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Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic (via X)
In an interview with Vijesti, Novak Djokovic spoke about why he still has the passion for tennis, which even at the age of 37 ranks him among the top and makes him a strong candidate for winning the biggest tournaments. Despite a title-less 2024 season, Djokovic has no doubt that he will clinch his 100th title, the only question is when and where.
In what was perhaps the most thrilling men’s match of the 2025 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz in three sets in a quarterfinal that lasted over three and a half hours. This marked the eighth meeting on court between both players, with Djokovic leading their head-to-head 5-3.
I hope the 100th trophy can come to Doha now. I have been looking for it for a long time, since October last year, but I will talk about it later—it will come when it needs to. Thank God, I know it will come, we will see when and where. As for the Grand Slam, it is a bigger challenge, a more difficult undertaking, but I believe I can do it—if I did not believe I could compete at this level with the best tennis players in the world, I would not participate in other competitions. I think I have proven with my victory against Alcaraz at the Australian Open that I can still compete for the biggest trophies.
Novak Djokovic said via Vijesti
While Carlos Alcaraz took the first set of the quarterfinal match, with Novak Djokovic even taking a medical timeout to address a leg injury, the Serbian made an impressive comeback in the next two sets, outplaying the 21-year-old. At this tournament, Djokovic was not only aiming for a record 11th Australian Open title but also a 25th Grand Slam title.
However, his leg injury had aggravated during the semifinals against Alexander Zverev, which forced him to retire after the first set of the match. Now, after weeks of recovering, the Serbian is set to return to tour with the Qatar Open, a tournament that he has won twice previously.
Novak Djokovic returns to the 2025 ATP tour with the Qatar Open
Novak Djokovic remarked that there is no more rupture in the muscle, the injury is almost 100 percent repaired, and he is ready to go to attain new victories. He received the green light from his medical team that he can train and prepare.
Djokovic expressed relief in being able to recover quickly. He added that he has had a bit more injuries lately than he did in the first 15 years of his career. That probably comes with age, Djokovic believes, as he is glad that his body still listens to him.
With a burning flame and a desire to achieve new things, Djokovic hopes for success, both next week in Doha and in the rest of the season. Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in the 2016 finals and his present coach Andy Murray in the 2017 finals to clinch the Qatar Open title.
Along with Djokovic, several other top men’s players will also compete at the 2025 Qatar Open, such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur, and Andrey Rublev. This hard court tournament will take place between 17 and 22 February 2025.
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Lakshya Chopra
(2635 Articles Published)