Novak Djokovic bowed out of the Australian Open semifinals with an injury, but he will be ready to play at the Qatar Open in Doha, as his participation is all but confirmed. Djokovic last played at the Australian Open in January, making the last-four stage where Alexander Zverev awaited him.

The German took the opening set of that match, after which Djokovic retired, the reason for which was later revealed to be muscle tear.

Reports after that retirement said that the Qatar Open in Doha was a target for the Serbian. And now it’s been confirmed that he will travel to Qatar to practice and prepare for the event that is scheduled to be held from February 17-22, 2025.

His participation hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, but expectations are that he will play.

The news was broken by Serbian publication Sportal.blic.rs (via @Olly_Tennis_ on X) who reported that Novak Djokovic will travel to Doha next week. He will be without Andy Murray though, as things stand now, as the two are yet to confirm that they will continue working together. Djokovic hinted that they likely will, but for now, it hasn’t been confirmed.

“Why would I want to stop?” – Novak Djokovic dismisses retirement suggestions

Novak Djokovic spent the majority of his time after the Australian Open in his native Serbia. He was spotted at a basketball game last week, but he also found time to chat with the media briefly.

During that chat, Djokovic was asked about retiring from the sport in light of yet another injury. The 24-time Major champion admitted that people around him, including his father, were pushing him to retire, but he doesn’t want to do it as long as he feels competitive, which he still does.

“My dad has been trying to get me to retire for a while now. No, really. But he hasn’t been pressuring me. He respects my decision to continue. And of course he understands why I want to continue, but of course he asks me in the style of: ‘What else do you want to do?’,” Djokovic told Sportal.blic.rs.

“Publicly and privately, many people have told me that they think it’s best for me to leave when I’m at my peak, which I understand, don’t get me wrong, I understand that. But if I’m still physically able and I feel like I can beat the best players at a Grand Slam – why would I want to stop now?” he added.

Time will tell what will happen, but for now, it seems like Novak Djokovic will play in Doha and beyond. Whether he will play after this year? That is the million-dollar question.