Novak Djokovic received a major boost on Saturday after scan reports emerged on the hamstring injury he incurred during the Australian Open last month in Melbourne. As it reportedly stands, the Serb can return to the court in two weeks with the ATP 500 event in Doha looking a possibility.
During the quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic was seen struggling with his hamstring, forcing him to take a medical timeout, after which he returned with a heavily strapped upper left thigh. Despite the pain, he battled through four sets to make the semifinal, but did not take the practice court until the morning of his clash against Alexander Zverev. The 37-year-old retired from the semifinal match after losing the opening set.
Djokovic faced quite some criticism from experts, who reckoned it wasn’t a genuine injury, leaving the 24-time Grand Slam winner to share medical evidence of his hamstring tear on social media.
On Saturday, trusted Serbian publication Sportal claimed that Djokovic’s medical scan reports have been rather positive with the injury not being as serious as the one he incurred during the 2023 season. The report added that after returning home to Serbia, he sought daily therapies and treatments, following which he received a green light from his medical team that he could resume practice in a couple of days.
The development comes as a major boost for Djokovic amid initial reports claiming that he could be on the sidelines for months, with a return to the French Open a possibility. However, if the Serb, who pulled out of Serbia’s Davis Cup tie against Denmark earlier this week, does resume practice next week, he could make a return to action at the Doha Open, which will begin on February 17.
However, focus will remain on how he builds towards the French Open, with Djokovic yet to win a Slam since lifting the US Open in September 2023.
“Usually in my career I used to have my schedule ready six months in advance, but nowadays that’s not the case,” he said last year.
“Now it’s more spontaneous. Firstly, I need to physically, emotionally and mentally rest in order to even start thinking what I want to do next, in what way, how much and where.
“I am not chasing ATP Finals, I am not chasing the rankings. As far as I’m concerned, I am done with those tournaments for my career. Whether I will play others this year or in the future, I can’t say right now.
“My main priorities are playing for the national team and Slams. Everything else is less important.”
