“It was too much, I guess, to handle for me at the moment,” Novak Djokovic said after his untimely withdrawal from the Australian Open due to a hamstring injury. Last month, his quest for a 25th Slam faced a major setback. In the SF round against Alexander Zverev, the 24-time Major champion and 10-time AO king was forced to pull himself out of the court because of persistent pain in his leg. Fortunately, it didn’t take him long to recover and resume on-court action with the Qatar Open. But guess what? The clouds of uncertainty on his 2025 season have resurfaced. Is Djokovic okay?

Returning from injury earlier this week, Djokovic appeared in Doha for his third ATP event of this season. However, he lost his first-round battle against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini. The World No. 35 managed to pull off a huge upset, defeating the Serbian with a score line of 7-6 (4), 6-2. Despite this result, the positive news was that Djoker didn’t sustain any more injury on the court and showed no signs of pain… until Friday.

On X, a clip featuring Djokovic was shared, dated February 21. It showed him entering Doha’s Hamad International Airport. But the concerning part is that he was seen limping while making his way inside. Now that’s definitely not good news for his avid fans and any tennis lover. While the video only lasted for eight seconds, it was long enough to confirm Djokovic’s pain making its way back. What’s crucial to note is that this saddening update comes just days after his R32 loss against Berrettini.

As of now, his next ATP event appearance will surely remain doubtful. But this season of Djokovic is, somehow, turning out as a mirror image of his previous season from 7 years ago. Remember how he struggled at the start of 2018 in a similar fashion?

When Novak Djokovic suffered setbacks in an injury-riddled season

Even in the 2018 season, an injury ended up becoming an unwanted companion of Novak Djokovic. He failed to start the year on a winning note down under and lost against South Korea’s Chung Hyeon. Then ranked 109, Hyeon stunned Djoker in a one-sided fourth-round battle. In straight sets, he beat the 10-time AO king with a score line of 7-6, 7-5, 7-6. After his exit from Melbourne, the Serbian suffered from an elbow injury. He went to Switzerland to have surgery. Due to the recovery break, he had to miss out on the Middle East swing. But when he came back on the court, it wasn’t pleasing enough.

At the Indian Wells Masters, in March 2018, Japan’s Taro Daniel handed him a shocking defeat. Daniel, who entered the event as a qualifier, gave Djokovic a tough time throughout the second-round encounter. Eventually, he ousted the Serbian with a final score line of 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1. It was their first face-off and the Japanese ATP pro succeeded in emerging victorious.

After his loss at the Indian Wells, Djokovic was left extremely upset. Not because of the result, but his pain! “I was not even supposed to be here because of the surgery that was only five, six weeks ago. But I recovered very quickly, and I got myself ready. That’s it. I mean, I played like everyone else,” he said in a post-match official press conference in March 2018. However, he showed a positive intent back then, while saying, “I have experienced many times similar situations, so I know that there is always something good in it. You just need to try to set your mind at that frequency.”

At this point, too, Djokovic is suffering from a similar phase once again. Hopefully, he will bounce back in a strong way with a timely recovery. What are your thoughts on his prospects going forward in 2025? Let us know in the comments below.