Djokovic Unfazed By Alcaraz And Sinner As He Targets 100th Title Already In Doha
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Novak Djokovic has been attempting to win his 100th career title for some time, and he believes he's capable of winning it at the 2025 Qatar Open in Doha.
Djokovic has 99 titles in his trophy cabinet at the moment. In the history of the ATP Tour, there were only two men who won more. Jimmy Connors has 109 titles and Roger Federer won 103 titles.
The Serbian legend is not too far from those numbers, but his progress hasn't been as fast in recent months. Djokovic won five titles in 2021, five in 2022, and seven in 2023. But last year, he lifted only one trophy.
In fact, it wasn't a trophy that he would lift, as it was an Olympic gold medal, which was hung around his neck. That was Djokovic's one and only tournament win in 2024.
Since then, every tournament that he enters is an attempt to win his 100th career title. He didn't manage to do it at the Australian Open earlier this year, and now, he will try again at the Qatar Open.
Djokovic confirmed his participation in Doha, as he managed to heal from an injury that he sustained in Melbourne. In Qatar, he will attempt to win his 100th career trophy, and he's not afraid to admit it.
The field at the ATP 500 tournament in Doha will be incredibly strong. Djokovic might have to beat both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to win the trophy, but he's not afraid of the challenge.
Before competing in Doha from February 17th until 22nd, Djokovic spoke to the Montenegrin publication Vijesti. The Serbian player admitted that he's confident that his 100th title is only a matter of time. He believes he can win it already in Doha.
"I hope that my 100th trophy can come already in Doha. I've been chasing it for a long time, since October last year, but we'll see—it will come when it's meant to come."
"Thank God, I know it will come; we’ll see when and where. As for a Grand Slam, that's a bigger challenge, a tougher task, but I believe I can do it."
Djokovic also said that if he didn't have the belief that he could succeed, he would likely retire. At this point in his tennis career, it's all about breaking records, and he doesn't just want to lose in the quarter-finals.
The 37-year-old player thinks that his run at the Australian Open, especially the win over Carlos Alcaraz, showed that he's still able to challenge the young generation, which he will try to do again in Doha.
"If I didn't believe I could compete at that level with the best tennis players in the world, I wouldn't continue playing. I think my victory against Alcaraz at the Australian Open proved that I can still compete for the biggest trophies."
