By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Monday, February 10, 2025
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
A leg muscle tear ended Novak Djokovic‘s Australian Open quest.
It hasn’t hurt his hunger for history.
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Grand Slam king Djokovic reports he is nearly “100 percent healed” from the muscle tear in his left leg that forced his retirement from last month’s Australian Open semifinals.
Now, Djokovic aims to achieve history in Doha next week by capturing his 100th career championship.
In a new interview with newspaper Vijesti, Djokovic delivered his mission statement: “I hope that my 100th Nearly Fully Fit, Djokovic Sets Sights On Doha Milestone trophy can come in Doha.”
“I have the green light from the medical team to be able to train, to be able to prepare,” Djokovic told Vijesti. “The tournament in Doha is scheduled for a week now, so I am sticking to the schedule.
“Thank God, I managed to recover quickly. “I have had a few more injuries lately than I did in the first 15 years of my career. That probably comes with age, but my body still listens to me, the flame and desire for achievement and new achievements still burns in me.”
The 37-year-old Serbian superstar won back-to-back Doha titles in 2016 and 2017.
A popular presence in the Middle East, Djokovic is playing for his 100th career crown and first championship since he out-dueled Carlos Alcaraz in a dramatic Olympic final to claim his maiden Olympic gold medal for Serbia.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic bowed to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final last July then lost to Jannik Sinner in the Shanghai final in October.
Djokovic, who turns 38 on May 22nd, said he’s driven to reach the century mark in Doha.
“I hope that the 100th trophy can come already in Doha, I’ve been chasing it for a long time, since October last year, but about that—it will come when it’s supposed to come,” Djokovic said. “I know it will come, we’ll see when and where.”
Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors holds the ATP Open Era record with 109 titles. Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer is second on the men’s Open Era title list with 103 career championships.
