Novak Djokovic has announced that he has recovered from the hamstring injury which forced him out of the Australian Open semifinals. He confirmed that he will be playing the ‘Sunshine Double’ at Indian Wells and Miami, for the first time since 2019.

The World No. 7 Serb told reporters on Thursday (March 6) that the injury is ‘behind’ him, adding that he had not felt any problems before the Qatar Open in Doha and even after the end of the tournament, as per a Reuters report.

He said, “I’ll play the Sunshine Double (for the) first time after six years. I haven’t done really well in Indian Wells and Miami ever since 2016 or ’17, and I struggled to find my best game here.”

“I’m not going to get younger, I know that. But I definitely look to go deep in the tournament. I’ve done, I think, the right things in preparation,” he added.

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Could be third player to claim 100 singles titles

The 24-time Grand Slam winner retired from his semifinal against Germany’s Alexander Zverev at Melbourne Park in January owing to the hamstring injury, and lost his opening round match in straight sets (6-7, 2-6) against Italian Matteo Berrettini at the Qatar Open last month.

He has also been a five-time Indian Wells winner and could become the third man to claim 100 singles titles, after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer, with another triumph in the Southern California desert. He has won the Indian Wells-Miami Open double, a record four times.

Djokovic is seeded sixth in the Indian Wells ATP Masters.

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Praise for coach Andy Murray

Djokovic also lauded his coach, Andy Murray, saying he was “reaping the rewards” of his training weeks after the Doha match. He added that he expects Murray to be an asset at both tournaments, continuing through the clay court season, including the French Open and Wimbledon.

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“I’m enjoying the relationship with Andy,” Djokovic complimented his former rival. “I still feel like we are going through the process of getting to know each other on the court in a different way than we have known each other for 25 years.”

Djokovic won gold at the Paris Olympics and claimed he was pleased with his level in Melbourne before he retired after the first set against Zverev.

He credited Murray with his success, “I think I played maybe the best tennis that I played in quite some time. Since the Olympics, actually… So I definitely attribute that to the work I had with Andy.”