Novak Djokovic's weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix mixed the thrill of Formula 1 with a deeply personal mission. The 38-year-old is trying to rebuild a body that has endured one of the toughest seasons of his career.
Between garage visits, meeting drivers and presenting the Sprint race trophies, Novak provided a clear glimpse into where his focus lies ahead of his 23rd season on the ATP Tour.
The 24-time Major winner is eager to embrace recovery, reconstruction and readiness for more battles with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. This time, Djokovic wants to meet the world's best players at his physical best.
The 2025 season left its scars on veteran. Djokovic could not compete at his best at Majors despite reaching four semi-finals like in his best days, suffering three losses to Sinner and Alcaraz, who physically outplayed him.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Belgrade native experienced shoulder issues in the closing stages of the season, wrapping it up with the title in Athens and missing the ATP Finals in Turin for the second straight year.
Across the season, physical setbacks repeatedly interrupted the legend's rhythm, which is a rarity in the career of one of tennis' most durable champions. After all, he played his first ATP matches in 2004, when Alcaraz and Sinner were still kids.
In the controlled chaos of the F1 paddock in Doha, Djokovic described this off-season as a complete rebuild. It's a conscious effort to strengthen the areas that have broken down too often in the past 18 months.
He took a break from the competitive to embrace fine-tuning and prepare his engine for more stability in 2026. Novak revealed his Regenesis recovery pod in Doha, reflecting his long-standing belief in holistic wellness and innovative recovery methods.
ADVERTISEMENT
For the veteran, it's another tool to preserve energy at his age and reduce strain. To extend his career that has already redefined longevity and compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Novak needs every elementof help he can find.
The Serb's message from Qatar was clear - he is not stepping aside! Instead, the goal is to be healthy, strong and ready to fight from the first ball of 2026. If he achieves that, it could be another chapter in his rivalry with tennis' new dominant and dynamic duo.
"I'm taking a short break and trying to reconstruct my machine, so to say, in racing terminology. I have been getting injured more often than not in the last 18 months, so I'm trying to rebuild my body so that the start of the next season will be great.
Hopefully, I can keep it up with the best guys," Novak Djokovic said.
