Djokovic comeback stalls after more pain in right elbow

ABU DHABI, Emirates (AP): he comeback plans for Novak Djokovic stalled yesterday when a recurrence of pain in his right elbow forced him to withdraw from an exhibition tournament in the United Arab Emirates.

Djokovic has not played competitively since he retired in the Wimbledon quarter-finals because of the elbow injury. He was scheduled to play Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in the exhibition semi-finals yesterday, his first match in nearly five months.

“I am terribly disappointed that I am forced to withdraw,” Djokovic said in a statement on his website.

“Unfortunately, in the past few days I started to feel pain in the elbow, and after several tests, my medical team has advised me not to risk anything, to withdraw from the tournament, and to immediately continue with the therapies.

“This might affect the start of the season and the tournament plan, but the decision will be made in the following days.”

Djokovic is entered in the Qatar Open starting on Monday in Doha, where he is the defending two-time champion. That’s

TUnited Arab his lead-in tournament for the Australian Open, which starts in just over two weeks.

Exhibition tournament organisers have arranged a substitute match between Andy Murray, another former No. 1 who has been out since Wimbledon with a hip injury, and Bautista Agut.

Murray has been in Abu Dhabi only to train for the tour.

Bautista Agut will take on the winner of the other semi-final between Dominic Thiem of Austria and Kevin Anderson of South Africa.