Injury elbows Djokovic aside
JULY 26, 2016: Roger Federer announces he is shutting down his season to rest a knee injury and will return in January 2017.
July 26, 2017: Novak Djokovic announces he is shutting down his season to rest an elbow injury and will return in January 2018.
Same day of the year, similar injury-connected storyline — but identical outcome?
Djokovic, struggling on and off for 18 months with a right elbow injury, and without adding to his 12 majors since completing the career grand slam at last year’s French Open, has announced he will not play again this year.
It will rule him out of the US Open, where he has twice been champion and made six of the past seven finals, as well as Serbia’s Davis Cup semi-final against France.
His absence from New York will be the first time he has missed a slam since 2004, ending a run of 51 majors.
Djokovic, 30, will eventually see his world ranking slip to around the 15 mark — his first trip outside the top 10 since March 2007.
Federer, five years his senior, was 17 in the world when he won the Australian Open this year and is now back at three. So there is plenty of encouragement there for Djokovic who will be a dangerous last-16 opponent at the 2018 Australian Open where he has won six titles.
“My body has its limits, and I have to respect that and be grateful for all that I have achieved so far,” he said, admitting his on-court troubles are a legacy of over-playing.
When Federer called time on his 2016 campaign, he had played 28 matches. While he rested up, Andy Murray and Djokovic battled over three continents to be world No.1.
British star Murray ended the year having fought through 87 matches while Djokovic played 74 times.
In 2017, Federer has featured in seven tournaments, winning the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami Masters, at Halle and his record eighth Wimbledon.