{"id":1774457,"date":"2026-02-16T16:45:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T13:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1774457"},"modified":"2026-02-16T16:45:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T13:45:28","slug":"atp-qatar-open-withdrawal-list-as-novak-djokovic-among-three-top-10-stars-to-pull-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1774457","title":{"rendered":"ATP Qatar Open: Withdrawal list as Novak Djokovic among three top 10 stars to pull out"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">ATP Qatar Open: Withdrawal list as Novak Djokovic among three top 10 stars to pull out<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/ewan-west\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Ewan West                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"16 Feb 2026 4:45 PM\" data-ps-date=\"16 Feb 2026 4:45 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1771260328\"><br \/>\n                            16 Feb 2026 4:45 PM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/atp-qatar-open-withdrawal-list-novak-djokovic-among-three-top-10-stars\" class=\"!text-info hover:!text-brand\" aria-label=\"Share to facebook\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Fatp-qatar-open-withdrawal-list-novak-djokovic-among-three-top-10-stars\" 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href=\"https:\/\/share.flipboard.com\/bookmarklet\/popout?v=2&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennis365.com%2Ftennis-news%2Fatp-qatar-open-withdrawal-list-novak-djokovic-among-three-top-10-stars\" aria-label=\"Share to flipboard\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"sm:hidden flex items-center space-x-5\">\n                        <a class=\"!text-share-icon hover:!text-share-icon-active flex items-center justify-center\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" aria-label=\"Follow Tennis365 on Google Search\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"ATP Qatar Open: Withdrawal list as Novak Djokovic among three top 10 stars to pull out\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Djokovic-serves-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Novak Djokovic in action\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Novak Djokovic serves                             <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\">\n<p>The top two players on the ATP Tour \u2014 Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner \u2014 headline a strong field at the 2026 Qatar Open, but three top 10 stars have pulled out of the event.<\/p>\n<p>The Qatar Open was upgraded to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/atp-tour\">ATP<\/a> 500 level in 2025, having previously been a 250 level tournament since its inception in 1993. It is staged at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on outdoor hard courts<\/p>\n<p>Andrey Rublev is the reigning champion in Doha, having defeated Jack Draper 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 in last year\u2019s championship match.<\/p>\n<p>The Qatar Open main draw features 32 players, with eight seeds, and it is played over five rounds with no byes.<\/p>\n<p>There are six top 20 players competing, Alcaraz (1), Sinner (2), Daniil Medvedev (11), Rublev (15), Jakub Mensik (16) and Karen Khachanov (18).<\/p>\n<h2>Who has withdrawn from the Qatar Open?<\/h2>\n<p>While the draw at the 2026 Qatar Open is packed with talent, it had looked set to be even stronger, with five members of the top 10 having been on the original entry list.<\/p>\n<p>As well as Alcaraz and Sinner, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/novak-djokovic\">Novak Djokovic<\/a>, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexander Bublik \u2014 who are ranked third, seventh and 10th respectively \u2014 all signed up to play, but they all withdrew.<\/p>\n<p>Djokovic, who is a two-time Qatar Open champion, announced his withdrawal five days before the start of the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not spoken about his decision, but organisers cited \u201cstrong fatigue\u201d as the reason.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNovak Djokovic is pulling out from Doha due to strong fatigue,\u201d the Qatar Open said in a statement. \u201cQatar will miss you. Wishing you a speedy recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>ATP Tour News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/carlos-alcaraz-jannik-sinner-qatar-open-appearance-fees-2026-revealed\"><strong>Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner\u2019s eye-watering Qatar Open appearance fees revealed<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-features\/atp-qatar-open-predictions-can-anyone-stop-a-carlos-alcaraz-vs-jannik-sinner-final\"><strong>ATP Qatar Open predictions: Can anyone stop a Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner final?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Auger-Aliassime was a semi-finalist in Doha 12 months ago, and he pulled out before the draw for this year\u2019s event was made.<\/p>\n<p>While no official reason has been given for Auger-Aliassime\u2019s absence, it can likely be explained by his efforts in the previous two weeks as he played nine matches across Montpellier and Rotterdam.<\/p>\n<p>The Canadian won the ATP 250 in Montpellier before losing in the final of the ATP 500 in Rotterdam. In the second set of his Rotterdam final loss, Auger-Aliassime took a medical timeout and looked to be struggling physically.<\/p>\n<p>After Djokovic and Auger-Aliassime\u2019s withdrawals, Bublik was bumped up to the No 3 seed position when the Qatar Open draw was made.<\/p>\n<p>However, the Kazakh \u2014 who was a semi-finalist in Rotterdam \u2014 pulled out due to fatigue after arriving in Doha.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArrived in Doha, but was forced to withdraw due to fatigue. See you in Dubai,\u201d Bublik posted on social media.<\/p>\n<p>Denis Shapovalov, a former world No 10 currently ranked 35th, is the only other player to withdraw from the Qatar Open. The 26-year-old Canadian reached the semi-finals of the ATP 500 in Dallas last week.<\/p>\n<h2>Who replaced Djokovic, Auger-Aliassime, Bublik and Shapovalov?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Djokovic was replaced by Valentin Royer<\/li>\n<li>Auger-Aliassime was replaced by Kamil Majchrzak<\/li>\n<li>Bublik was replaced by Quentin Halys<\/li>\n<li>Denis Shapovalov was replaced by Zhang Zhizhen<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/novak-djokovics-relocation-greece-confirmed-target-smear-campaign-serbia\">Smear campaign target Novak Djokovic\u2019s decision on Greece relocation with family confirmed<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ATP Qatar Open: Withdrawal list as Novak Djokovic among three top 10 stars to pull out Ewan West 16 Feb 2026 4:45 PM Novak Djokovic serves The top two players on the ATP Tour \u2014 Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner \u2014 headline a strong field at the 2026 Qatar Open, but three top 10 stars [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-1774457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1774457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1774457\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1774457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1774457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1774457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}