Doha 2026 ATP 500 - Tournament Preview
(16 - 21 February) Doha is played on slow hard outdoor courts. Variable wind conditions is a key factor, influencing pace throughout the week. Alcaraz and Sinner headline the draw.
The Doha tournament had been an ATP 250 throughout its history before being upgraded to ATP 500 status last year.
Djokovic has withdrawn but Alcaraz and Sinner will play the tournament.
Speed Statistics
According to data from the last two years, Doha is play on slow pace Hard Outdoor courts.
This are the statistics if we take the last 5 years of data:
- 71.9% Points won on the first serve
- 80.5% Service Holds
- 0.51 Aces/Game
- 0.21 TB/Set
Past Winners
2025: Rublev d. Drapper
2024: Khachanov d. Mensik
2023: Medvedev d. Murray
2022: Bautista d. Basilashvili
2021: Basilashvili d. Bautista
Federer has lifted the trophy 3 times, Rublev, Bautista, Djokovic and Murray twice.
Weather
Next week in Doha will be predominantly warm and mostly dry with lots of sunshine, with daytime high temperatures generally around ~26–29 °C (79–84 °F) and nighttime lows near ~16–19 °C (61–66 °F); relative humidity during the daytime typically ranges from around 45 % to 60 %, increasing at night toward roughly 70 %–80 % at times, and there’s very low chance of precipitation. Winds will vary from light to moderate, often in the 10–25 km/h range (~6–15 mph), with some stronger gusts at times especially later in the week and overall no significant rain are expected through the period
Player Quotes
Medvedev, 2025: "Marseille was actually pretty fast, surprisingly, because usually it’s quite slow. Then Rotterdam was super slow, and here in Doha, it’s even slower"
De Minaur, 2025: "There are tough days like these. It’s cold, it’s windy, and you probably don’t want to get out of bed on days like this. It was ugly tennis. I just tried to put the ball in court, which is what I did today. The wind was swirling and not consistent. It was all about surviving."
Grenier, 2024: "The conditions were different from Sunday. It was darker, a little slower, the balls were a little bigger."
Rublev, 2023: “Now it's different, there's more wind, so it's more difficult to play and the level evens out, because you can't hit it the same way. With those conditions you can't play in the same way as in normal conditions, you need to make the ball go in, everything becomes more difficult. Especially for the players who are normally stronger.”
Medvedev, 2023: “It’s never easy coming from indoor to outdoor tournaments, so it was pretty tough and the the sensations are much slower here.”
Federer, 2021: “It's just that when we were practising, the court was faster in the past so this was slower. I knew it could be a little bit tricky, [working out] how to construct the point against him on a slow court, but look, it felt great to be out there again regardless of the outcome.”
Summary
Although the 2025 was not that slow (73.3% points on on the first serve), Doha is a slow hard-court tournament.
Wind is often a key variable here and materially influences the speed data. Absent wind, the courts would likely profile closer to medium pace rather than slow.
Although strong gusts are not expected at the beginning of the week (perhaps only toward the end), wind conditions in Doha are highly variable and can change quickly. It remains a factor that must be monitored closely, as even moderate shifts can materially affect playing conditions.
These conditions could make life more difficult for pure big servers who rely on first-strike tennis, mainly in the evening sessions.
Rublev is a good example: a player who does not favour very fast courts, yet has won this event twice.
Draws
Here’s the link to the Qualies and Main draws — you can check it anytime to follow the latest updates and see which players advance through each round:
