Former British No. 1, Laura Robson, doesn’t believe Novak Djokovic will be losing any sleep over his early exit from the Qatar Open. In fact, Robson, now a tennis analyst and tournament director, sees Djokovic’s rapid recovery from injury and return to competitive play in Doha as a positive indicator.
The Serbian legend was handed a convincing 7-6(4), 6-2 defeat by Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the ATP 500 event. This marked Djokovic’s first tournament appearance since he suffered a left hamstring tear at the Australian Open in January.
The injury occurred during his thrilling four-set victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park, a match that had fans on the edge of their seats. Unfortunately, Djokovic was forced to retire during his semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev after dropping the opening set due to the hamstring issue. Many had anticipated a prolonged break for the 37-year-old, but he surprised everyone by making a swift return to action in Doha.
In an interview with Eurosport, Robson explained why Djokovic’s early elimination in Doha doesn’t concern her. “I think that’s the main positive for Novak, the fact that he’s feeling healthy on the court, again,” she said. “The way he finished in Australia… I’m sure it was tough for him to reset after playing some of his best tennis against Alcaraz and then, just a couple of days later, things didn’t go his way.”
Robson went on to emphasize how impressive it is that Djokovic managed to bounce back quickly, especially given his age and the challenges he’s faced. “At his age, to rebound as quickly as he has, I think is a huge positive sign,” she remarked. “I don’t think he’s overly bothered about losing early in Doha. When you consider all the titles he’s won and everything he’s achieved in his career, one early-round loss isn’t going to faze him.”
She also noted that Djokovic’s primary focus this season seems to be reaching his monumental goal of 25 Grand Slam titles, rather than worrying about smaller events. “He’s spoken about it before – his big goal for this year is to hit 25, not necessarily to worry about a small ATP event in the Middle East,” Robson concluded.
In addition to his singles campaign, Djokovic also participated in doubles at the Qatar Open, partnering with former world No. 7 Fernando Verdasco in the Spaniard’s final tournament. The pair dominated the first round, delivering a 6-1, 6-1 thrashing to Alexander Bublik and Karen Khachanov. However, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals, losing 7-5, 6-4 to second seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.