Novak Djokovic Reportedly Receives Surprising Update For Australian Open Injury
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Many feared that Novak Djokovic would be out for a significant amount of time due to his injury at the 2025 Australian Open. However, the tennis legend has reportedly received positive news.
Djokovic retired after the first set of his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev after tearing a muscle in his left hamstring. He also suffered from that problem in the quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz.
That led to predictions about Djokovic being sidelined for a few months. Experienced ESPN commentator and analyst Chris Fowler predicted that the Serbian would return in months instead of weeks because of the challenges of hamstring injuries.
Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs, and ex-French Open semifinalist Andrea Petkovic expressed similar sentiments. Stubbs thought six weeks would be a minimum recovery time for Djokovic.
However, if a recent report from Sportal is accurate, Djokovic will be back much sooner than that. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is known for quickly recovering from injuries and might have done it again.
The publication's article about the issue states that Djokovic can return to the ATP Tour in two weeks. This is after he sought help from the best experts and performed therapies and examinations for the injury.
If Djokovic's recovery is that swift, his schedule may not be disrupted. The 37-year-old had planned to compete at the Qatar Open starting February 17th, and if the two-week timeline is correct, he could be fit for that.
Sportal also reports that a doctor in Serbia has given Djokovic approval to begin light training in a few days before increasing the workload if there are no setbacks in the hope of being fit for the Qatar Open.
Djokovic sustained a similar injury at the 2023 Australian Open. Remarkably, the former ATP world No. 1 won his tenth title in Melbourne despite the pain, undoubtedly one of the best achievements of his career.
According to Sportal, Djokovic's muscle tear from this year's Australian Open is less severe than two years ago. That gives him a better chance of returning quickly and not having to play a lighter schedule than he initially planned.
Hopefully, if Djokovic returns more swiftly than initially expected from his muscle tear, no analyst or commentator will make light of his injury or claim he was not actually severely injured.
John McEnroe was the most high-profile figure to doubt Djokovic unfairly. During the Serbian's physical struggles against Alcaraz, the seven-time Grand Slam champion told fans not to be fooled and that he had done that "routine" several times.
Being doubted by McEnroe and others led to Djokovic posting the MRI scan for the injury, clearly showing a significant tear in his left hamstring. That probably left McEnroe and all of the ten-time Australian Open champion's critics red-faced.
The Qatar Open organizers will be desperate for Djokovic to recover for the tournament starting in just over two weeks. His presence would guarantee more ticket sales and attention surrounding the event.
