Djokovic to take part in exhibitions
BELGRADE: Novak Djokovic is finally set to return to action next week after six months out with an elbow injury and will then decide whether to take part in the 15-28 January Australian Open.
“After pulling out from Abu Dhabi and ATP Doha events due to pain in his right elbow, Novak is travelling to Australia where he will take part in two exhibition tournaments,” said a statement on Djokovic’s website (www. novakdjokovic.com).
“After the two events, a decision will be made about his participation at the first grand slam of the season, the Australian Open, where Novak has been crowned champion six times.”
The 30-year old Serbian is to return at the 10-12 January Kooyong Classic and is also scheduled to take part at the Tie Break Tens evening exhibition at Melbourne Park next Wednesday.
The former world number one, who won the last of his 12 grand slam honours when he captured his maiden French Open title in 2016, has not played since retiring against Czech Tomas Berdych with an injury in the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July.
He pulled out of the Abu Dhabi event last week only hours before his match with Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut after the pain in his right elbow flared up.
On medical advice, he also withdrew from the Qatar Open and now faces a final fitness test for the Australian Open.
Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki continued to build on her WTA Finals victory late last year with another impressive performance on her way to a 6-2 6-2 victory over Croatia’s Petra Martic to reach the quarter-finals of the Auckland Classic yesterday.
The 27-year-old Danish world number three ended 2017 with the biggest title of her career in Singapore and returned a day after thrashing Madison Brengle in her season opener to hit 21 winners against eight unforced errors in the 53-minute win over Martic.
“I’m trying to stay aggressive,” Wozniacki said in a court-side interview. “I still made some unforced errors. It’s taking a few matches to play like 100 percent, but I still felt I played pretty well today.”
Top seed Wozniacki started brightly with a break of serve to love on her way to an early 3-0 lead and added another break in the eighth game to wrap up the opening set in just 24 minutes on a glorious day in New Zealand’s largest city.
Martic tried to mount a comeback early in the second when she broke for a 2-0 lead, but Wozniacki won the final six games behind impressive serving numbers, including six aces, to book a last-eight encounter with young American Sofia Kenin.
“I’ve worked on everything I need to work on in the off-season,” Wozniacki added.
“Now it’s just a matter of working out how to incorporate that into your match or into a situation where you maybe get nervous.”
Kenin, a 19-year-old wild card, knocked out compatriot Varvara Lepchenko 6-4 7-6(6) earlier in the day and there were also victories for Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova.