Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini continue their eventful history when they The Serbian great returns to action on Tuesday for the first time since he retired injured with a thigh issue from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev.

Speaking ahead of the tournament in Doha he said the issue was "almost 100 per cent repaired". who is still one short of a 100th career ATP title, added: "I have the green light from the medical team that I can train, that I can prepare.

"Thank God, I was able to recover quickly. I've had 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 flame and a desire to achieve new things.

"I hope that the 100th trophy can come to Doha right now. I've been chasing it for a long time - it will come when it should come."

Djokovic and Berrettini have met four times previously, with the former winning every time. Three of those meetings have come at grand slams, most notably in the 2021 Wimbledon final.

The pair also met at the grand slam before, the French Open, where Djokovic unleashed an extraordinary outburst after the Italian saved a match point. After a thrilling fourth-set rally, which went Berrettini's way, Djokovic exploded in anger, hitting a mock serve, screaming at his support team in the stands and kicking an advertising board.

Djokovic eventually went on to wrap the match up in four sets, but the Italian took encouragement away from his opponent's meltdown. "I'm just trying to remember the screams of Novak Djokovic at the end of the match because that means that he really felt in danger, it is a source of pride," he said.

That dramatic moment played out in front of an empty stadium after fans were forced to leave just minutes earlier. With Covid-19 restrictions easing, 5,000 fans had been allowed to attend the evening session, with the curfew extended from 9pm to 11pm.

However, with the match going late into the night, it had to be halted to allow fans to leave the arena, with Djokovic 3-2 up in the fourth set. The scenes of thousands of supporters heading to the exits mid-match led to widespread criticism from fans.

Amid more Covid-related drama, unvaccinated Djokovic was barred from travelling to the US in 2022. There was hope from his side that the restrictions would be lifted in time for him to play at the US Open in New York.

He left it until the day of the draw before eventually announcing his withdrawal, with travel restrictions still in place. Djokovic would have been the fifth seed, which would have put him on a collision course with Berrettini in the quarter-finals.

While Berrettini was disappointed that Djokovic was absent from the tournament, he insisted telling : "I am sorry for him, but there are rules. It would not be fair to exempt someone just because he is famous. It's about democracy."