Novak Djokovic has raised fresh concerns over his fitness by limping into Doha Airport. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has struggled with injuries over the past year and crashed out of the Qatar Open in the first round earlier this week.
Djokovic insisted that he had fully recovered from a hamstring tear which forced him to retire from his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev last month. However, he was dumped out of the Qatar tournament by former Wimbledon final opponent Matteo Berrettini.
The Italian won 7-6 6-2 in the opening round to knock Djokovic out of the singles. His doubles campaign with Fernando Verdasco ended in a second-round loss against Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara.
And it seems the Serb may have been playing down his injury woes. In a video shared on social media by Spanish publication AS, Djokovic is seen limping into Doha Airport.
It remains to be seen whether Djokovic is fit to play at Indian Wells next month. He also plans to feature in the Miami Open but his participation could be placed into doubt if there is a fresh injury.
In a sad admission ahead of the Qatar Open, the 37-year-old revealed that it is no longer easy to maintain top physical health.
“I am trying to improve my game, as everybody else. But my game is not going to change now drastically,” Djokovic explained.
“I’m not going to play serve and volley, maybe every once in a while, but my game is what it is, the core is going to be the same. I’m going to try to adjust depending on the surface that I play on and so forth.
“There are more injuries. Things are not the same as 10 years ago, 15 years ago. I still try to take care of my body on a daily basis, and it’s more challenging now, no doubt. I still try to do my very best, given the circumstances.”
Djokovic is the last of his generation of tennis icons to still be playing full-time on the ATP Tour. Rafael Nadal retired last year. It has been nearly three years since Roger Federer called time on his career.
Andy Murray finally stepped away from the tennis court after injuries plagued his final six years on the circuit. The Scot, whose last appearance came in the Olympics, has since been appointed as Djokovic’s coach and oversaw his run to the Australian Open semi-finals.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk