Djokovic pulls out of another tournament
Novak Djokovic withdrew from another tournament Saturday, his final warm-up event for the Australian Open, saying he still has pain in his right elbow and isn’t sure when he will return to action.
The elbow problem forced Djokovic to withdraw from an exhibition tournament in United Arab Emirates on Friday. The 30-year-old Serb said Saturday his elbow had not improved and he was going to miss next week’s Qatar Open.
The tournament in Qatar, where Djokovic is the two-time defending champion, was the last on his schedule before the Australian Open starts Jan. 15.
“Unfortunately, the situation with the elbow has not changed for [the] better since yesterday. I still feel the pain,” Djokovic said in a statement.
“Only when I’m 100% ready to play, I will be able to come back. I hope it will be soon. I want to thank everyone for [their] patience and understanding.”
Djokovic hasn’t played a competitive match in nearly five months since he retired in the Wimbledon quarterfinals because of the elbow injury.
Djokovic won three Grand Slam titles in 2015 and two more in 2016, but his performances slipped this year. He was upset in the second round of the Australian Open by No. 117 Denis Istomin and went out in the quarterfinals of the French Open. He retired in the last eight at Wimbledon and missed the U.S. Open in an attempt to recover from his injury.
Serena Williams lost in her return to tennis after giving birth in September, beaten by French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 3-6 and then 10-5 in the tiebreaker, in an exhibition in the United Arab Emirates. Williams has not decided if she will defend her Australian Open title. The year’s first Grand Slam event begins Jan. 15. “I don’t know if I am totally ready to come back on the tour yet. I know that when I come back I definitely want to be competing for championships,” Williams said.