Novak to miss rest of season

Injured elbow

BELGRADE, July 26, (AP): For more than a year, Novak Djokovic’s right elbow hurt when he hit serves or forehands. The pain kept getting worse, and now he’s going to give his arm a chance to heal by sitting out the rest of 2017.

Djokovic will miss the US Open, ending his streak of participating in 51 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, and aims to return to the ATP tour in January. He made the announcement Wednesday — exactly a year to the day after Roger Federer said he would be sidelined for the second half of last season.

“This is one of those injuries where nothing can really help instantly. You just have to allow natural rehabilitation to take its course,” Djokovic said. “Professionally, this is not, obviously, an easy decision for me.”

Since entering his first major tournament at the 2005 Australian Open, Djokovic has never missed one, the third-longest active run among men and seventh-longest in history.

In that time, the 30-year-old Serb has won 12 Grand Slam titles, including the US Open in 2011 and 2015. Only three men have won more major tennis singles championships: Federer (19), Rafael Nadal (15) and Pete Sampras (14).

“The remarkable series has come to an end,” Djokovic said. “My body has its limits, and I have to respect that and be grateful for all that I have achieved so far.”

He said that Andre Agassi, with whom he recently began working on a part-time basis, will be his coach after India’s Shikhar Dhawan plays a shot in front of Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella during the first day’s play of the first Test cricket match between India and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka on July 26. (AP)