Djokovic withdraws from Qatar Open due to 'strong fatigue'

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Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next week's Qatar Open, citing fatigue after his run to the Australian Open final.

Djokovic went close to winning a record-breaking 25th grand slam title in Melbourne, going a set up against Carlos Alcaraz in the final but going on to lose 2-6 6-2 6-3 7-5.

The Serbian has won the Qatar Open on two occasions, beating Rafael Nadal in the 2016 final then retaining the crown against Andy Murray the following year.

But rather than appear in Doha this year, the 38-year-old will rest ahead of the North American swing.

Tournament organisers confirmed on Instagram that Djokovic was suffering from "strong fatigue".

Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will headline the entry list for the tournament, which was upgraded from an ATP 250 event to become part of the ATP 500 schedule last year.