Novak Djokovic gave an update on his wrist injury after sparking concerns during his United Cup tie against Czechia’s Jiri Lehecka. The world No 1 called the physio to receive treatment on his wrist during his singles win and subsequently pulled out of the mixed doubles tie. He later apologised to Serbia’s captain Viktor Troicki after blaming his setback on a dessert-fuelled feast.
Team Serbia topped their group after beating their Czech rivals on Tuesday, two days after they won their tie against China 2-1. Once again, it was up to Djokovic to keep his squad alive when the Serbs found themselves trailing 0-1 after Danilovic lost to Marketa Vondrousova.
Djokovic looked to be racing to force a decider again when he took a 6-1 3-1 lead over Lehecka but trouble suddenly struck and the 24-time Grand Slam champion lost four games in a row. The second set eventually went to a tiebreak which was won by Lehecka as Djokovic threw in too many uncharacteristic errors.
The world No 1 sparked fears when he called the physio to the court and received treatment on his right wrist. He still won the match 6-1 6-7(3) 6-1 but was replaced by Hamad Medjedovic in the mixed doubles due to his injury scare. And Djokovic has now given an update, revealing that the issue started in the warm-up.
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“I hope not, but yeah, it happened in the warmup today before the match,” the 36-year-old said when asked whether it was a serious issue. “I basically got constant treatment before the match, during the match, after the match, you know, trying to address the issue that I’m facing today in the best possible way.”
“I mean, it’s not the first time that I have faced these kind of circumstances at such a high level of professional tennis. I know professional sport in general, these things happen.” With Serbia through to face Australia in the quarter-final, Djokovic is hoping that the issue won’t impact him for the rest of the United Cup.
He continued: “I think it’s not a major concern, because I still managed to finish the match and managed to play well, even though I maybe wasn’t feeling 100 per cent, but still, you know, it allowed me to finish the match. Hopefully I’ll have enough time to recover for tomorrow’s tie against Australia that is in the afternoon hours, so, you know, more time for us.”
Serbia’s team captain, former world No 12 Viktor Troicki, made light of Djokovic’s physical issue as he joked that it was the result of a feast the 36-year-old had enjoyed the night before. Admitting that he had a sweet tooth, Djokovic was asked when he last indulged in chocolate.
“Last night,” he responded. “Yeah, two guys there back of the room there confirming I’m not lying. We had like four – although vegan desserts.” Laughing, Troicki thought it could be the cause of Djokovic’s issues. “That’s why the wrist is hurting today,” he said, prompting an apology from his player. The world No 1 added: “Sorry, Captain. I’ll take it down to three desserts a night.”
With Serbia now set to take on home favourites Australia, Djokovic and Troicki will be hoping that the wrist injury doesn’t rear its head again. The 98-time title winner is expected to take on Alex de Minaur while Serbia’s Danilovic will likely face Ajla Tomljanovic. In the doubles, Australia have a formidable duo in world No 1 Storm Hunter and Matt Ebden.
