File photo of World No.3 Novak Djokovic
Doha: World No.3 Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next week’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open, citing strong fatigue, the Qatar Tennis, Squash, Padel and Badminton Federation said in a social media post yesterday.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion’s decision comes 10 days after his defeat to world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final. Prior to their final in Melbourne, the 38-year-old Serbian had battled past world No.2 Jannik Sinner in a semi-final that stretched beyond four hours.
In the absence of the two-time Doha title winner, Alcaraz and Sinner will headline the ATP 500 event as the top two seeds.
Djokovic had won consecutive titles in 2016 and 2017, and holds a 15-3 win-loss record in Doha. He is expected to resume his campaign in March at the Indian Wells Masters.
