Novak Djokovic has declared he’ll be fully-fit to play at the Qatar Open next week, and has nearly made a full recovery from the hamstring injury that ruined his Australian Open campaign. Djokovic endured a tumultuous time in Australia last month, having a run-in with Channel 9 host Tony Jones before being booed by fans when he retired hurt.

Djokovic called it quits after the first set against Alexander Zverev in the semis, and fans expressed their displeasure by booing him off court. The general theory was fans were left fuming because they paid up to $1000 for tickets, only to see barely an hour of play.

Speaking immediately after, Djokovic said the hamstring injury – suffered in the quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz – was worse than the one he sustained while winning the Australian Open in 2023. He later posted a scan that purportedly showed the tear in his hamstring after some claimed it wasn’t as bad as he was letting on.

Initial speculation was that Djokovic could miss up to two months while recovering, and some suggested he might not play again until the French Open. But he’s now set to make his return after just three weeks, and is eyeing a historic 100th ATP title.

“There is no more rupture in the muscle, the injury is almost 100 per cent healed,” the 37-year-old told Montenegrin daily newspaper ‘Vijesti’ in an interview published on Monday. “I have the green light from the medical team to be able to train, to be able to prepare.

“The tournament in Doha is scheduled for a week now, so I am sticking to the schedule. 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.”

Novak Djokovic chasing elusive 100th singles title

Djokovic, who won the Doha title in 2016 and 2017, can become just the third man to win 100 singles titles on the tour in the professional era after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103). The Serb has been searching for the elusive 100th title since last August when he won gold at the Paris Olympics.

He came closest at the Shanghai Masters in October when he lost to World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the final. “I hope that the 100th trophy can come already in Doha, I’ve been chasing it for a long time, since October last year,” he said on Monday. “But about that – it will come when it’s supposed to come. I know it will come, we’ll see when and where.”

RELATED:

Speaking immediately after his retirement at the Australian Open, Djokovic said he wasn’t sure what the future held. “There is a chance (I won’t be back). Who knows?” he said. “I’ll just have to see how the season goes. I want to keep going, but whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I’m not sure.

“I normally like to come to Australia to play. I’ve had the biggest success in my career here, so if I’m fit, healthy, motivated, I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come. But there’s always a chance, yeah (that I won’t return).”