Novak Djokovic will continue to be coached by Andy Murray until the French Open, and the two haven't excluded working together until Wimbledon.
The Scot has decided to extend his coaching relationship with Djokovic, who started in the lead-up to last month's Australian Open and was successful in Melbourne. Djokovic stated in Doha ahead of his comeback to tennis at the Qatar Open.
According to the 24-time Grand Slam winner, the partnership is "indefinite," which raises the prospect of the former rivals working together again at Wimbledon this winter.
When Djokovic was forced to withdraw due to injury during the semi-final match against Alexander Zverev, his Melbourne career came to an end.
The 37-year-old later stated that he and Murray will "cool off" before determining whether to stay together.
Despite being over his leg ailment, Djokovic's return event in Doha did not go as planned, as the Serb lost in the first round.
The always dangerous Matteo Berrettini defeated the 37-year-old 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.
Djokovic was not at his best in his first singles encounter since the Australian Open, but Berrettini, whom the Serb defeated in the Wimbledon final in 2021, had one of his best days.
In the meanwhile, Alex de Minaur received a belated birthday surprise as he defeated obstinate Russian Roman Safiullin in straight sets to advance to the tournament's round of 16.
Australia's No. 1 celebrated his 26th birthday by practicing at Khalifa International Tennis Complex in Doha. The next day, he defeated Safiullin 6-1, 7-5 with a great attitude.
It was a perfect start for de Minaur in challenging, windy circumstances. He was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in the final in Rotterdam nine days prior, and he was given a rather generous early draw in his most recent attempt to win an ATP 500 title.
Since the beginning of 2023, De Minaur has led the high-level 500 tournaments with an outstanding record. In fact, he has won 34 games in the previous three years, including two titles in Acapulco, more than any other player.
However, the ATP calendar this year has forced de Minaur to forego a hat trick of victories in Mexico in favor of the "no-brainer" choice of pursuing the massive ranking points that are up for grabs at three consecutive 500 events in Rotterdam, Qatar, and Dubai.
The Australian's 12th victory of the year, which led the tour, was a little more difficult to achieve than he had anticipated due to the windy, damp, and cold weather.