Novak Djokovic has addressed concerns after he was spotted limping in a video following his recent Qatar Open exit. The world No. 7 lost in the first round of last month’s Doha ATP 500 and was later seen looking worse for wear in the airport. It sparked concerns that Djokovic had not fully recovered from a thigh injury that forced him to retire from the Australian Open in January.
The 37-year-old is now back in action at the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells – his first appearance since his early exit in Doha. Ahead of the tournament, he spoke out on the footage showing him hobbling.
Djokovic is hoping to rediscover his form in the Californian desert this fortnight. The Serb has not won a match since beating Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarter-final, getting injured during their clash.
He retired from his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev and skipped Serbia’s Davis Cup tie before making a disappointing return at the Qatar Open in February, losing to Matteo Berrettini in the first round.
When he arrived in Doha, Djokovic confirmed that the thigh injury he picked up in Australia had healed. But there was cause for concern after he crashed out of the tournament and was filmed limping through the airport on his way home.
Some believed Djokovic had not fully recovered. But the 24-time Major winner has now cleared things up ahead of his opening match in Indian Wells, explaining why he was hobbling.
“Yeah, I saw that. No, it was something different, actually. It was not an injury. The injury is behind me,” the five-time Indian Wells winner said.
“I mean, hopefully. I haven’t felt any problems prior to Doha, end of Doha tournament I felt completely fine, as I have felt in the lead-up to Indian Wells, my training weeks.
“It was really, yeah, awkward to see that video, because I arrived to the airport and I hit myself really badly as I was walking out, because it was very early, I think, 4 or 5am.
“I was just limping because I hit myself badly in the ankle. That’s all. It was just a hit. It was nothing else. But then people connected it to the injury and thought it was something escalating and coming back.”
After sharing the source of his discomfort in Doha, Djokovic turned his attention to the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami – dubbed the ‘sunshine double’. After his appearance in California, the Serb is set to play the Miami Open for the first time since 2019.
He continued: “But anyway, I’m feeling good. I really look forward coming to Indian Wells and Miami this year, you know. I’ll play the Sunshine Double first time after, I think, six years. So I look forward to that.
“I haven’t done really well in Indian Wells and Miami ever since 2016 or ‘17, and I struggled to find my best game here. I’m not going to get younger, I know that.
“But I definitely look to go deep in the tournament, you know. I’ve done, I think, the right things in preparation. I’ve been playing some good tennis these days. So let’s see. Let’s see how far I can go.”
