Former tennis star Andrea Petkovic has admitted she’s worried about Novak Djokovic’s health amid his inconsistent performances in 2025 so far.
The Serb made the quarter-finals of the Brisbane Open before losing in the last eight to Reilly Opelka.
He then proceeded to shine at the Australian Open, where he made the semi-finals before being forced to withdraw due to injury.
The 37-year-old was able to return to action at the Qatar Open last week but toiled, losing to Matteo Berrettini in the first round.
Novak Djokovic health fears have been raised by Andrea Petkovic following his recent exit from the Qatar Open
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While Djokovic remains capable of the sublime, he appears to be showing signs of waning.
He failed to win a single Grand Slam title last year, though did win gold at the Paris Olympics.
Petkovic believes Djokovic may have rushed his comeback to the sport.
But she also raised fears for the veteran’s health, with the 37-year-old concerned that he may be pushing himself a bit too much.
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“Novak, we don’t know when he was able to start practising with that muscle tear he had in his thigh. So maybe a bit early, the comeback,” the German told The Tennis Channel.
“I don’t know, we will see whether he says something on it or whether he just needs a bit of time in the competition side and he’s already doing really well in training.
“That’s sometimes also the case when you come back from injuries.
Novak Djokovic withdrew from his Australian Open semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev last month
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“Sometimes you’re already doing tremendously well in training and it just takes a while in competition.
“I’m not worried about Novak, I thought he played so well at the Australian Open — that match against Carlos (Alcaraz).
“Some people wanted to put this one on Carlos, I just thought he was outplayed by Novak.
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“I didn’t think he (Alcaraz) played so badly and so I’m not worried about Novak at all in terms of tennis, just worried about his health and if he’s healthy, he will be fine.”
Djokovic, meanwhile, said after his recent defeat in Doha that he’d been ‘outplayed by a better player today’.
“I didn’t have any pain or discomfort in that sense. I was outplayed by just a better player today,” he said.
Novak Djokovic was recently beaten by Matteo Berrettini at the Qatar Open
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“Yes, I wasn’t at my desired level, and it could be that I’m still not moving the way I want to move, but, I mean, I played without pain, so there is no excuse in that.
“He was just the better player.
“I think he played a master class match, to be honest, tactically, and served very well, so just a very deserved win from his side.”