Tennis
No Qatar action for Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a doubt for the Australian Open after he was forced to pull out of the Qatar Open due to injury.
The former world number one has been struggling with an elbow issue but was expected to feature in the Abu Dhabi exhibition.
However, the injury has not improved and Djokovic has confirmed he will miss the event to focus on his rehabilitation in a bid to be fit for the Australian Open next month.
A statement on his website read: "Unfortunately, the situation with the elbow has not changed for better since yesterday. I still feel the pain. Therefore, I will have to withdraw from ATP tournament in Doha, that has been voted the best 250 tournament in 2017.
"I am sorry that I will not be able to play in front of my fans here. I have great memories of this tournament and the matches I played, like the final against Andy (Murray) from last year. The atmosphere at the stadium is always wonderful, the organization is on the highest level, and I will surely miss it a lot.
"However, after the thorough consultations with the medical team, we decided to keep up with the therapies and elbow treatments.
"Only when I’m 100% ready to play, I will be able to come back. I hope it will be soon. I want to thank everyone for patience and understanding."
Alex Jack is a Yorkshireman with Scottish connections and well versed in a number of sports. A Leeds United supporter, who also enjoys both codes of rugby. Leeds Rhinos is where you can find him in the summer, while Alex is an avid supporter of Scottish rugby union.
