It’s never easy to swallow a failed attempt at gaining access to a tour-level event. But, what happened with Nikoloz Basilashvili is truly devastating. The Georgian No. 1 was recently left in ruins after he couldn’t make the cut for the ATP 500 tournament in Doha. As a result, Basilashvili bashed out at the officials and issued a condemning statement, highlighting the pain caused to him.

The Qatar Open has a star-studded feature stack including top-10 players like Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. While those top-tier contestants hardly pose a challenge gaining entry into the main draw list, by virtue of their ranking, Basilashvili became one of the players who wasn’t granted a wildcard entry not just for the main draw, but for the qualifying round as well. And, that’s not the most surprising bit.

Basilashvili lifted the Qatar trophy in 2021 after outclassing Spanish Roberto Bautista Augt, 7-6, 6-2, in the summit clash. Though he couldn’t defend his title next year, ironically falling to the Spaniard in a revenge act in the title decider, he recorded a noteworthy credit score in the Middle East event. However, according to the Georgian sensation, those results were not considered by the event authorities when he pleaded his case for a wildcard entry.

Dejected by the fallout, the 32-year-old instantly took to Instagram to explain the situation and, in turn, emotionally vowed to never return for the Qatar Open in his professional career. “I am somewhat devastated to share that I was unable to secure a wildcard for the Doha tournament, not even for the preliminary phase despite winning the title in 2021 and reaching the final in 2022. I am used to not getting things easily, but this one hurts.”

“I understand that money and sponsors play an important role, but above all, there is common sense. Qatar, you have given me incredible moments that I will always remember, but I swear I will not return to play again in my entire professional career,” he added. For those unaware, the Georgian player’s 2025 season has been a mixed bag so far.

He suffered an opening-round exit at the Australian Open and has been mostly active on the Challenger circuit since then. His best results for the season came at the Challenger Oeiras and Open Occitanie, where he finished quarterfinalist. Speaking of players who won’t be featuring in Qatar, Basilashvili isn’t the only one. The World No. 1 will no longer be participating in Doha and, it’s not by choice.

Jannik Sinner joins Nikoloz Basilashvili among players set to miss out on the Qatar Open

Nikoloz Basilashvili and Italian trailblazer Jannik Sinner, are among the names not participating in Doha. Despite being among the favourites for the title, fans will have to make do without Sinner. The World No. 1 was recently awarded a three-month doping ban from the professional circuit after reaching a settlement with WADA. For the uninitiated, Sinner twice tested positive for banned anabolic at the Indian Wells Masters in March last year.

Despite maintaining his innocence – claiming that the contamination happened on the part of his staff members – and an independent tribunal’s verdict clearing him of any wrongdoing, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) filed an appeal for a decision reversal in CAS, seeking a 1-2 year ban on Sinner. The trial was set for April but, the Italian star found it best to settle the matter and accept a three-month hiatus from the sport, thus bringing his doping saga to an end.

“Mr Sinner will serve his period of ineligibility from 9 February 2025 to 11:59 pm on 4 May 2025. Mr Sinner may return to official training activity from 13 April 2025,” read WADA’s statement. This means Sinner won’t return to play until the season’s clay court Major, the French Open, commences in May.

However, fans are vexed with the inconsistencies in the decision-making and after acknowledging the update, lashed out at Sinner on social media. The only good news is that Sinner can now put his controversial doping chapter behind him. And, in the meantime, he can probably work on fine-tuning his skills and retain his impressive form for his comeback to the ATP.