Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is preparing to make his return to action in next week’s Qatar Open and eh will be keen to get some wins in Doha to arrest a slide in the ATP Rankings.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is making an unexpectedly swift return to action after he was forced to pull out of the Australian Open in his semi-final against Alexander Zverev due to a hamstring problem.

Djokovic was expected to be out of action for a couple of months, but he has said he will return to Qatar, where is an ambassador for the nation’s national airline.

“There is no more rupture in the muscle, the injury is almost 100 per cent repaired and I am ready to go to new work victories,” he told Vijesti, as he confirmed his return to action.

“I have the green light from the medical team that I can train, that I can prepare. The tournament in Doha is scheduled for seven days now so I’m sticking to the schedule. Thank God, I was able to recover quickly.

“I’ve had a bit more injuries lately than I did in the first 15 years of my career. This probably comes with age, but my body still listens to me, I still have a burning flame and a desire to achieve and achieve new things. That’s why he hopes for success, both next week in Doha and in the rest of the season.”

His return to the ATP Tour will come as he slide down to No 7 in the updated rankings, with Daniil Medvedev’s run to the latter stages of the ATP 250 tournament in Marseille ensuring he will leap above Djokovic.

Alex de Minaur is also threatening to leap above Djokovic in the rankings and while the 37-year-old has insisted his position in the ATP list is not his big priority at this stage of his career, it could be significant by the time the French Open starts in June.

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If he was ranked outside of the top eight by the time the French Open gets underway, Djokovic could face a battle against world No 1 Jannik Sinner, No 2 Zverev or No 3 Carlos Alcaraz as early as the last-16 of the tournament in Paris.

He would face a similar scenario at Wimbledon a few weeks later and also at the US Open, which gets underway in late August.

Djokovic has yet to confirm whether he will play in the ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami next month, where plenty of ranking points are up for grabs and it may be that fitness issues will dictate where he sits in the ATP Rankings when the Grand Slam events get underway.

Djokovic appears to have rediscovered some of the hunger he suggested was missing in his game during 2024, with his eagerness to return quickly from injury and play in Qatar another sign of his increased commitment.

Yet if he is ranked outside the top eight on the ATP Rankings, the challenge he will face to try and win a 25th Grand Slam title will multiply.

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