Novak Djokovic, a legend with 24 Grand Slam titles and 99 singles titles, aims for his 25th major title and 100th overall this season. Injury concerns, however, have recently plagued his efforts. Despite Andy Murray joining his team for the Australian Open, Djokovic succumbed to Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals due to a hamstring injury sustained in the match against Carlos Alcaraz. Injuries appear to be the main obstacle for Djokovic. On the other hand, with his withdrawal came the questions about his partnership with Murray which was supposed to last till the AO ended. Will Novak overcome these to win a title soon?

On February 12, Mark Petchey praised Andy Murray’s impact on Novak’s coaching team on The Inside-InTennis Podcast with Mitch Michals. Craig Shapiro initially deemed it an “unserious hire,” but it has seemingly worked wonders for Djokovic. Petchey noted, “Listen, it’s a different challenge at that level. There’s no question. I think Andy brought a lot of thoughtfulness. I think he brought a lot of detail. I think he brought a lot of just underlining Novak’s greatness and what made him difficult to beat when Andy was playing against him. And we saw, you know, Novak play some awesome tennis against Carlos.”

His match against Alcaraz was indeed a close call. Alcaraz seized the first set 4-6. Although Novak called for an MTO after the first set, it seemed to work in his favor. He then won the next three sets and sealed the match victoriously with 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 after three and a half hours. Novak’s resilience led Petchey to add, “That’s the kind of tennis that I’m sure will keep him on tour for another couple of years because he doesn’t need to play like that every single week. But all he needs to do is play like that at the back end of a major and he’ll have 25.”

Additionally, Mitch points out, “One of the things I thought just standing out because everyone talked about how in-match, like Murray’s passion, Djokovic’s passion, what that could mean. But it sounds like, and you’d have the insight to this, the preparation is where Murray stands out. He can come up with a game plan and study the opponents and really collaborate with a guy like Novak.” 

Since its announcement, the partnership has earned praise from many insiders. Pointing out that Murray’s analytical mind and player assessment skills are highlighted as key assets. Novak himself has described Murray as the “perfect coach” because Murray has been through similar experiences as him. He noted that it felt “strange” opening up to Murray, but the pair spent 10 days working together in preparation for the new season.

While he has faced a winless streak since last year, marking his first title-less season since 2005. The exception was his Paris Olympics gold medal win. Coming into the 2025 season, things are looking up for him. With Murray continuing as part of his team and his injury healing, Djokovic appears more confident.

Novak Djokovic drops a recovery update on his hamstring injury

Speaking to the Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti on February 10, Djokovic expressed his determination to continue playing despite recent setbacks: “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.”

Throughout his career, Novak Djokovic has mostly avoided major injuries. A notable exception was the 2017 elbow injury that impacted his performance until Wimbledon 2018, where he won the title as the No. 21-ranked player. Recently, Djokovic announced his plans to compete in the Middle East swing, beginning with the Qatar Open on February 17 in Doha. He also mentioned his goal of winning 100 ATP titles, a feat achieved by Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. He appears optimistic about his return from his injury.

“There’s no longer any muscle tear. The injury is almost 100 percent 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 added.

Although he acknowledged the challenge of competing with younger players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, his careful planning and precautions will hopefully allow him to continue. Do you think we’ll see the Serbian GOAT ultimately clinch his next milestone this season?