Novak Djokovic withdraws from Qatar Open, delays return after Australian Open final

The withdrawal of Novak Djokovic from the upcoming ATP 500 Qatar Open has been confirmed, where he was expected to make his return to the courts in what would have been his first tournament since the Australian Open. The 24-time Grand Slam champion cited fatigue as the reason for his absence from the tournament in which he had been entered, and where Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will be joining the action.

The 38-year-old player comes off an exhausting couple of weeks in Melbourne, where he reached his 11th Australian Open final. Djokovic ultimately fell in four sets to world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, missing the chance to claim a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.

The Serb has already signalled several times over the past few years that his calendar would become increasingly selective, prioritising Grand Slams and tournaments representing Serbia. The world No. 3 already missed the first round of Davis Cup qualifiers, thinking about protecting his physical condition and avoiding a long trip to South America following the demanding campaign in Melbourne.

His return to competition was expected next week in Doha, but Djokovic ultimately opted to skip the tournament. A year ago, Nole made an appearance at the event, although he was eliminated as early as the first round by Matteo Berrettini. He also competed in doubles on that occasion alongside Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, who was in the middle of his farewell from professional tennis and joined Nole to celebrate one final doubles campaign in Qatar.

Currently world No. 3, he no longer needs early-season volume to secure entry or seeding, allowing him to focus on timing peaks for majors. That strategy has been evident in recent seasons and remains consistent with his public comments about the final phase of his career.

Without Djokovic’s presence in Doha, the veteran Serb will remain off the courts throughout the month of February. For now, the next tournament on his calendar would be Indian Wells, an event he has won five times, but which for several years has been far from being among his main priorities.

Since claiming his fifth title at Tennis Paradise back in 2016, Djokovic has participated in five of the following eight editions (skipping the event between 2021 and 2023), and without advancing beyond the fourth round in any of those appearances. His participation in 2025 ended quickly after falling on debut to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp (6-2, 3-6, 6-1).

However, just a couple of weeks later Djokovic reached the final of the Miami Open, his first time back in the final since 2016. He ended up losing to young Czech Jakub Mensik, in what remains his most recent Masters 1000 final so far.

With Djokovic absent from Doha, attention will turn to the world No. 1 and No. 2: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who will meet again for the first time in a tournament since the Australian Open, and who will lead a luxury draw loaded with star power. If both fulfil their favourite status and reach the final, Qatar could host the first clash of the season between Sinner and Alcaraz.

It will not be easy for either of them, considering the number of high-profile names joining the field. Doha features eight top-20 players. Among the favourites are Felix Auger-Aliassime (No. 6), Alexander Bublik (No. 10), and Daniil Medvedev (No. 11).

The defending champion is Andrey Rublev, who lifted the title in 2025 after defeating Jack Draper in the final, which marked the first time the tournament was contested at ATP 500 level. The Qatar Open will begin on February 16, as one of the main events of the Middle East swing.