"I am not sure what plan is going forward": Former American player questions motive behind Novak Djokovic's participation in Qatar Open

Former American player Steve Johnson has questioned the motive behind Serbia’s Novak Djokovic’s decision to play in different ATP events. The 37-year-old, who is regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category in the Open era, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles, has recently played in the Qatar Open.

His journey in the competition was a short one as he lost in the opening round to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2. It was his first appearance ever since he was forced to retire from the semifinal of the Australian Open because of a fitness concern.

Former American player Johnson has been recently quoted in a report in which he questioned Djokovic’s decision to take part in such events. The 35-year-old stated that it is not clear the motive behind the decision of the Belgrade-born star to feature in such events, despite last year announcing that he would focus on playing big events only. Johnson also highlighted that, at times, Djokovic looks a bit ‘flat’ emotionally, something that has not been seen before.

“I am not sure what Novak’s plan is going forward, nobody knows it but him,” he said. “I don’t know why he is playing this tournament just in general. It feels like he just wants to win slams to continue his legacy and stamp as the greatest champion of the sport we have ever seen. There is obviously financial obligations and commitments he has made in the past, we don’t know exactly what it takes for him to play these types of events. It just feels as if he is not as motivated to win in Dubai or Doha than he is to win a Slam which is rightfully so, because that’s the only thing which can further his legacy. Good to see him out there playing, I thought we weren’t going to see him until Indian Wells and just play some of the Masters series to win the French [Open], win Wimby [Wimbledon]. SO interesting to see him out there. It sometimes feels that he is a bit flat emotionally, which has usually never been the case for him.”