Just when we thought that Novak Djokovic could get back on the right track with his brilliant performance in the first four rounds at Wimbledon, he retired in his quarter-final match against Berdych. But it was afterward that the real shock came with Novak's statement that his elbow Injury is serious and that it has been bothering him for more than a year now. It was only yesterday, after Murray's shocking defeat, that Novak's fans firmly believed that he could get to number one, not knowing the abyss Novak would face later that day. Now that the rest of his season comes into question, here is what we can expect.
What did Djokovic actually say?
Following his quarter-finals match, Novak said that the specialists were not clear in their judgments about what should he do. Some mentioned the surgery and some proposed alternative methods but, either way, Djokovic thinks that a longer break is necessary for him to recover both physically and mentally. But what really concerned the fans is Novak's statement that the more he plays, the worse the injury gets. Now, given the fact that the elbow injury has been bothering Novak for longer than a year, we can all agree that this is one of the reasons, if not the only reason, for his downfall. And given the fact that Andy Murray is injured as well, it seems like that the grueling battle for the world number one finally took its toll.
What can we expect?
From this perspective, the second part of last season would have been the best time for Novak Djokovic to deal with the injury. However, the mistake has already been made and the Serb must face the consequences. Now, an entirely new situation stands before him, a little unexpected, but still very logical given the brutality of the modern day tennis.
However, Djokovic isn't the first great tennis player ever to face this situation. During his dominance, all his greatest rivals had longer breaks. Nadal did it a couple of times and last year was the first time Federer was absent for the better part of the season. At that time, Novak seemed so powerful that nobody even dared to think that he could face the same situation.
Now, the tables have turned, Rafa and Roger are attacking in full force and Djokovic is facing injury problems. He will face the longest break in his career. Maybe it will last 2 months, maybe the whole season, but what gives Novak's fans a hope is the fact that both Roger and Rafa came back stronger than ever after their breaks.
