'Worried About His Health': Novak Djokovic's Swift Return From Injury Raises Concerns
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Novak Djokovic's first tournament appearance since sustaining an injury at the 2025 Australian Open did not go as he had hoped, but Andrea Petkovic worries more about the Serbian's health than his tennis level.
Djokovic retired from his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev due to a hamstring muscle tear. He beat Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal with that issue, but the pain became too much against Zverev.
Hamstring injuries often take several weeks and even months to recover from. However, Djokovic's recovery was swifter than many expected, and he competed at this week's 2025 Qatar Open, playing the singles and doubles.
Unfortunately for the 37-year-old's fans, his time in Doha was brief. He lost in the opening round of the singles to an inspired Matteo Berrettini before being defeated in the second round of the doubles alongside Fernando Verdasco.
Although Djokovic said he felt fine after the match against Berrettini, concerning footage subsequently emerged online of him limping while walking into the airport, raising the possibility of his being injured again.
Speaking on the Inside-In Podcast, Petkovic said that players performing well in training after an injury but struggling to find the same momentum during tournaments is not unusual, meaning Djokovic might need some time to adjust.
"Novak, we don’t know when he was able to start practicing with that muscle tear he had in his thigh. So maybe a bit early, the comeback I don’t know we will see whether he says something on it or whether he just needs a bit of time in the competition side."
"And he’s already doing really well in training and that is sometimes also the case when you come back from injuries. Sometimes you’re already doing tremendously well in training and it just takes a while in competition."
Petkovic pointed to Djokovic's excellent performance against Alcaraz at the Australian Open as a reason why she is not worried about him returning to a good level. Her concerns are solely about his health.
“I’m not worried about Novak, I thought he played so well at the Australian Open. That match against Carlos, some people wanted to put this one on Carlos, I just thought he was outplayed by Novak. I didn’t think he played so badly and so I’m not worried about Novak at all in terms of tennis, just worried about his health and if he’s healthy he will be fine."
Djokovic has some time to recover for the 2025 Indian Wells Open, which does not start until March 5th. Hopefully, the limping seen as he left Doha was only a minor concern, not a severe injury requiring much recovery time.
If fit, Petkovic thinks he will reach a high level again soon. The former player and respected analyst has a point about Djokovic making a statement by beating Alcaraz, and his level in the other matches in Melbourne was also impressive.
Djokovic is also expected to be joined once again by his former rival Andy Murray in Indian Wells, who was his coach at the Australian Open. The pair seemed to strike a rapport and enjoyed working together.
