Tennis news: Novak Djokovic 'excited' to open 2016 campaign in Doha

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic said he is excited for the 2016 season as he opens his campaign in Doha, Qatar.

After completing one of the greatest seasons in tennis history, Djokovic is all set to take on the likes of Rafael Nadal, Tomas Berdych, and Qatar Open defending champion David Ferrer as part of the Serb’s preparation in defending his Australian Open title later this month.

“Here we come again to a new season,” Djokovic said, reports The National. “I’m so excited to come back and perform at my best in this season opening tournament. Stay tuned.”

The Qatar ExxonMobil Open is the only tournament Djokovic will join before heading to Melbourne Park for the Australian Open 2016, according to the Serb’s official website. Last year’s tournament in Doha was one of Djokovic’s biggest failures after losing to Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in the quarterfinal round. However, with all the momentum from last season, “Djoker” is expected to kickstart the new season with a victory.

The No. 1 seed Djokovic will battle Jamaican-German Dustin Brown in the first round, while Nadal, who is also one of the big stories at the Qatar Open, will enter the tournament as the second seed. The “King of Clay” is coming off a third Mubadala World Tennis Championship title after defeating Milos Raonic, 7-6 6-3 in Abu Dhabi, kicking off a promising 2016.

Nadal failed to win any major titles last year, but the 14-time Grand Slam winner is looking to bounce back from a forgetful season, insisting that he now feels ready for any competition.

"I am playing well now, I don't work to be back, I work to be better than what I was two, three, five months ago,” Nadal said, reports Yahoo Sports AU. “I want to improve my level all the time.”

Nadal will open the tournament against compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta and will also play alongside Fernando Verdasco in the doubles category.