Former world No 1 Novak Djokovic’s comeback from injury will have to wait a little longer after the Serb withdrew from the Doha ATP tournament after advice from his medical team, he announced on his website on Saturday.
Djokovic hasn’t played a competitive match after Wimbledon 2017. The 12-time Grand Slam winner had stated that he wanted to fully recuperate from a long-term injury and take a break from the game altogether.
Djokovic was scheduled to play the ATP Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Championships, but opted out just a couple of days before the start of the tournament, which in turn allowed another former No 1 and rival Andy Murray to make his comeback. Murray’s return, though, would go on to be a forgettable affair for him.
Djokovic, who was all set to put an end to his six-month break, said that he need more time to recover from an elbow injury. As for his next competitive match, the 30-year-old will only return when he feels he is “100% ready to play”.
“Unfortunately, the situation with the elbow has not changed for better since yesterday. I still feel the pain,” Djokovic said in a statement. “Therefore, I will have to withdraw from ATP tournament in Doha, that has been voted the best 250 tournament in 2017.
“I am sorry that I will not be able to play in front of my fans here. I have great memories of this tournament and the matches I played, like the final against Andy from last year. The atmosphere at the stadium is always wonderful, the organization is on the highest level, and I will surely miss it a lot.
“However, after the thorough consultations with the medical team, we decided to keep up with the therapies and elbow treatments.
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 patience and understanding.”
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