Novak Djokovic denied dealing with any injuries following his surprise Qatar Open loss but now he has been spotted limping at the Doha Airport.
During the Australian Open, the 37-year-old sustained a hamstring tear, which forced him to retire after only one set played in his semifinal against Alexander Zverev.
Last week, the Serb confirmed he was healthy and would return to action in Doha this week.
And Djokovic did make his comeback at the Qatar Open but it wasn’t impressive after Matteo Berrettini upset him 7-6 (4) 6-2 in the first round.
The former world No. 1 also played in doubles with Fernando Verdasco – they won their opening match before losing in the quarterfinal.
Now, Spanish publication AS posted a video in which the record 24-time Grand Slam champion can be seen leaving Qatar in limps.
VIDEO: Nole leaving Doha this morning.
Novak’s first match in Indian Wells is in 2 weeks 🙏 pic.twitter.com/dQKCnzbymO— 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚔. A͟O͟¹⁰ (@NoleLondon) February 21, 2025
Djokovic insisted he was physically fine
Going into the match, the Serb had four wins and zero losses against Berrettini.
But after not playing his best tennis and losing to the Italian, the 37-year-old shrugged off any injury concerns.
Instead, Djokovic said he simply didn’t play well and Berrettini made the most out of that.
“I didn’t have any pain or discomfort in that sense. I was outplayed by just a better player today,” the world No. 7 said after the loss.
“Yes, I wasn’t at my desired level, and it could be that I’m still not moving the way I want to move, but, I mean, I played without pain, so there is no excuse in that.
“He was just the better player. I think he played a masterclass match, to be honest, tactically, and served very well, so just a very deserved win from his side.”
Djokovic’s next scheduled tournament is the Indian Wells Masters, which starts on March 5th.
Tennis World USA