There’s no stopping Novak Djokovic. At least not until he clinches the historic 25th Grand Slam crown. The Serbian star, despite sustaining a nasty leg injury in the semifinals of the Australian Open – resulting in his forfeit against runner-up Alexander Zverev – Nole wants in on the action again. The latest updates from the Serb tell us that he is ready to return and will stick to the schedule for the Middle East swing.

Djokovic struggled with the injury during his quarterfinal contest against Carlos Alcaraz but, growing concerns about his fitness only reached the summit two days later in Melbourne. On Monday, February 10, he told the Montenegrin newspaper, Vijesti, that he’s nearly ready to hit the matches again. Upon getting the “green light from the medical team to train, to prepare”, Nole is gearing up for the upcoming Qatar Open in Doha.

“There’s no longer any muscle tear. The injury is almost 100 percent healed and I’m ready to go for more victories,” he said during the interview. The ATP 500 event commences on February 17, where Djokovic will bid to join Jimmy Connors, and Roger Federer in the exclusive club of players holding 100 ATP titles. “I’ve been chasing it (100th ATP title) for a while, since last October. But we’ll see, it’ll come when it comes,” said the now-ranked seventh in the world.

For those unaware, some fans are reportedly unhappy with the latest development, accusing the ‘Serbinator’ of faking the injury and claiming that he couldn’t have managed to heal so quickly. American veteran John McEnroe was one of the high-profile personalities to question his physical troubles at Melbourne Park when Djokovic took a lengthy medical timeout and exhibited signs of discomfort while dueling Alcaraz.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this routine. Don’t be fooled,” said McEnroe while commentating for ESPN. When Nole was asked to divulge his thoughts on the comments, he said that he couldn’t say much as he didn’t hear the remarks firsthand. However, the former World No. 1 humbled the American legend saying it’s easier to criticize a situation from the outside. “To be honest, I haven’t seen these comments, so I can’t say more. What I can say is that it’s always easier to judge and criticize than to understand. It’s a lesson I’ve learned in life.”

Djokovic later posted proof of his injury – an MRI scan – on X, conffirming his claims, and traveled to Belgrade for the necessary treatment. Despite having a rather injury-free career, enduring such physical concerns wasn’t the Serb’s first rodeo.

Novak Djokovic opens up about an increased injury risk owing to the inevitable aging

Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic was forced to pull out before his quarterfinal French Open match last year after sustaining a knee injury. After a successful meniscus surgery to remedy the issue, he returned just in time for Wimbledon where he finished runner-up against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

He later exacted revenge on the Spaniard with his gold medal match victory against him at the Paris Olympics. Regardless, Djokovic acknowledges the reason behind this sudden flare-up of his recent struggles.

In the same interview, Nole addressed the topic: “I’ve had a few more injuries recently compared to the first 15 years of my career. It probably comes with the age, but my body is still serving me well, and I still have the flame and desire,” said Djokovic, who will turn 38 this May. For now, he will focus on regaining his momentum and see that his fitness does not bother him if he hopes to emerge victorious in Doha.