Qatar Tennis Federation President Nasser Al Khelaifi and Novak Djokovic shake hands following their friendly padel match yesterday.
Doha: Two-time Qatar ExxonMobil Open singles champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia could meet Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals at Doha’s Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, the official draw revealed yesterday.
Alcaraz and Djokovic have been placed in the same half of the draw at the tournament which has climbed from an ATP 250 to an ATP 500 event this year- further highlighting Doha’s ever-growing significance on the global tennis stage.
The World No. 3 Alcaraz, who will make his event debut as the top seed, will aim to kick-start his Doha career in a first-round meeting with Marin Cilic.
Alcaraz leads Cilic, who is yet to compete this season due to a knee injury, 3-1 in the head to head record. Their last match was a five-set Alcaraz victory in the fourth round at the 2022 US Open.
Meanwhile Djokovic’s sharpness following his recovery from a muscle tear in a left leg will be immediately put to the test in a popcorn opener against Matteo Berrettini.
The Serbian, who is bidding to equal Roger Federer’s record of three Doha titles, has won all four of his previous tour-level meetings with the big-serving Italian, including in the 2021 Wimbledon final.
Djokovic has arrived in Doha for his first competitive appearance since he was forced to retire from his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev.
The 37-year-old Serbian is preparing to pull double duty this week: He will compete alongside Fernando Verdasco in doubles, in what will be the final event of Verdasco’s pro career.
In the bottom half of the draw, second seed Alex de Minaur aims to bounce back quickly from his defeat to Alcaraz in the Rotterdam title match a week ago when he takes on Roman Safiullin in his Doha opener.
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev, a former Doha champion, is a potential quarter-final opponent for De Minaur.
Daniil Medvedev remains in the hunt for an indoor title this week in Marseille, where he on Saturday plays Hamad Medjedovic in the semi-finals at the Open 13 Provence.
Once the 28-year-old arrives in Doha, he will prepare to take on Karen Khachanov in a meeting of the two past champions in Qatar: Medvedev won the title at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex in 2023, before Khachanov triumphed there a year ago.
In a stacked draw, sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas is a potential quarter-final opponent for the winner of Medvedev vs. Khachanov.
The Greek opens against Medjedovic, with Felix Auger-Aliassime possibly awaiting the winner in the second round.
