Defending champion Djokovic withdrew from the Qatar Open two days before the tournament started with a persistent elbow injury. Djokovic has won the title for the past two seasons in Qatar, beating Nadal in the 2016 final and Murray last year in a three-set thriller. Second and third seeds Pablo Carreno Busta and Tomas Berdych play their opening round matches on Tuesday. "If Rafa, Federer, Murray or Djokovic plays at his best level, it will be very difficult for us to win a Grand Slam," he said. "But if we continue improving -- because I think that, for example, Dimitrov or Goffin, they are playing really good and they finish the season playing really, really good.

Source: The Nation Bangkok January 01, 2018 18:00 UTC