Resilience and tenacity don’t hold much water when the inevitable, age factor comes in. But, what good are those qualities if a player throws in the towel when the chips are stacked against them? Novak Djokovic is caught up in something similar. No limit to his ambitions and a constant urge to outshine competitors has called him back on the tour. Days after the community speculated that he would sidelined from competition following a terrible leg injury, the ‘Serbinator’ has reversed his fate and dropped the latest update on his return. But, the 37-year-old will have to be more gracious to his body.

At 37, Djokovic has rather had an injury-free career, with only minor hiccups affecting his touring capabilities. In fact, Nole, in recent times, has endured multiple fitness concerns. He was forced to withdraw ahead of his quarterfinal clash at the French Open due to a right knee injury, that later required meniscus surgery. Though he showcased impressive form upon return – finishing finalist against Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon and clinching his Career Golden Slam with a gold medal victory over the Spaniard at the Paris Olympics – his physical health suffered a major hit last month.

His bid for the historic 25th Slam title was cut short after he sustained a leg injury at the Australian Open. As a result, he forfeited his semifinal match to Alexander Zverev after losing the opening set. Fans and prominent personalities like American John McEnroe accused the Serbian star of faking the injury but, Nole hit back by posting proof of his physical concern – an MRI scan – on X. However, merely days into his recovery journey, the former World No. 1 has surprised everyone after confirming that his “injury is almost 100% healed.”

During an interview with the Montenegrin newspaper, Vijesti, the 24-time Major winner revealed his motivation for returning to action. “I’ve had a bit more injuries lately than I did in the first 15 years of my career. This probably comes with age, but my body still listens to me, I still have a burning desire. That’s why I hope for success, both in Doha and in the rest of the season.” For those unaware, Djokovic has been quite lucky when it comes to injuries.

For those unaware, in 2017, Djoker suffered from an elbow injury that weakened his results until the 2018 Wimbledon. He managed to overcome those struggles and lifted the season’s SW19 title, ranked No. 21 in the world. As for his upcoming performance, Djokovic also announced that he will stick to schedule ahead of the Middle East swing.

Novak Djokovic ready for “more victories” ahead of the Qatar Open

Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic is slated to jet for the Qatar Open, scheduled to commence on February 17 in Doha as part of the Middle East hardcourt swing. In the same interview, he talked about maintaining his course of action so he can hope to join Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer in the elite club of players aholding 100 ATP titles.

He said, “There’s no longer any muscle tear. The injury is almost 100 per cent healed and I’m ready to go for more victories. I have the green light from the medical team to train, to prepare. The Doha tournament is in seven days’ time, and I’m sticking to my schedule.” He also spoke about his quest for a 100th ATP title, a feat he has been chasing since last year.

“I’ve been chasing it (100th ATP title) for a while, since last October. But we’ll see, it’ll come when it comes,” added the current World No. 7 ranked Serb. However, Nole’s physical concerns can turn into a serious concern seeing as he will have to extend beyond his limits to level young bloods like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Regardless, knowing Djokovic, he will likely steer through such concerns given careful consideration of his options and pre-planned precautions and hopefully continue to excite fans with his thrilling on-court showdowns.