Upbeat Novak back in service
SIX-TIME champion Novak Djokovic is ready for one more tilt at the Australian Open after laying down an emphatic statement in his first competitive match since retiring hurt at Wimbledon in July.
Serbian Djokovic, 30, returned from an elbow injury to crush Austria’s world No 5 Dominic Thiem 6-1, 6-4 at the Kooyong Classic here, just two weeks after cancelling a planned comeback in Abu Dhabi because of a recurrence of the pain which forced him off the tour.
“I don’t want to be over-confident but I am very, very happy with how it went,” said Djokovic. “It’s the first time in my career that I’ve had such a long break.
“I was waiting for this moment for six months to play a match. Also, I got a great opponent ranked five in the world. It was a fantastic test for me to see where I am, to see what we have done as a team in the off-season and whether it works on the court.
“It worked pretty well, especially the serve, which was the biggest question mark because of the elbow. That shot in my game was compromised prior to July when I had to stop in Wimbledon.”
Djokovic served and unleashed his forehand with the kind of venom that had been missing from his game last season, a remarkable turnaround for a player who had been considered a serious doubt for the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.
He considered joining Andy Murray in pulling out of the Australian Open last week, but gave it a rethink after his body responded well to treatment. “We gave it a lot of thought, and luckily for me I think I will be OK,” said Djokovic, who last won the title in 2016. “For now I’m in the Australian Open and I hope with God’s grace everything will stay fine in the next five days.”
And Djokovic will no doubt be looking to make up for 12 months ago when, as defending champion, he lost in the second round to Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin, the world No 117.
Roger Federer went on to lift the title, beating Rafa Nadal in a thrilling final but there was less joy for the Spaniard yesterday as he made his own comeback from injury, losing 6-4, 7-5 to Richard Gasquet.
Stan Wawrinka looks unlikely to be ready to compete in the Grand Slam event after withdrawing from a planned exhibition match, citing a shoulder injury, not the knee problem which has kept him off court since July.
Great Britain’s Heather Watson has reached the last eight of the Hobart International after beating Aussie wild card Jaimee Fourlis 6-2, 6-2, dropping just 13 points on serve. Watson has always enjoyed competing in the often blustery conditions in Tasmania, winning the title in 2015. She declared herself satisfied after overcoming a dangerous opponent. Watson, 25, said: “I love Hobart. Every time I’ve been here I’ve played well. The match today was far tougher than the score suggested. “She’s young, a very aggressive player, swings free and has no fear. “We had a lot of close games but because I’m feeling really confident, I was able to edge them my way.”
I haven’t had such a long break before