NEW DELHI: Novak Djokovic on Monday said that his leg injury from the Australian Open is nearly fully recovered and he is preparing to pursue his 100th ATP title at the upcoming tournament in Doha.
“There’s no longer any muscle tear. The injury is almost 100 percent healed and I’m ready to go for more victories,” Djokovic said in an interview with Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti.
“I have the green light from the medical team to train, to prepare.
“The Doha tournament is in seven days’ time, and I’m sticking to my schedule.”
The Serbian’s quest for a 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open ended when he retired during his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev after losing the first set.
The 37-year-old had struggled with the injury during his previous match against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.
Djokovic plans to return at the Qatar Open, starting February 17, where he aims to join Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer in the exclusive club of players with 100 ATP titles.
“I’ve been chasing it (100th ATP title) for a while, since last October. But we’ll see, it’ll come when it comes,” said the Serb, now ranked seventh in the world.
“Thank God I managed to recover quickly. I’ve had a few more injuries recently compared to the first 15 years of my career.
“It probably comes with age, but my body is still serving me well and I still have the flame and desire.”
The tennis star had previously withdrawn from the French Open quarter-finals last year due to a right knee injury, which required meniscus surgery.
He made a successful comeback at Wimbledon, reaching the final where he lost to Alcaraz.
Later, he achieved his first Olympic gold medal by defeating the Spanish player at Roland Garros.