Djokovic After the US Open Elimination: “The Next Two Weeks are Critical for my Rehab”

A shocking development was seen last night at Flushing Meadows, as the No.1 player of the world Novak Djokovic withdrew from the US Open tournament. The Serb won’t defend his crown, due to unbearable pain in his shoulder. While playing against Stanislas Wawrinka, the Joker decided it is too much for him to handle.

The current result was 4:6, 5:7, 1:2 for Wawrinka.

“After a few games, I realized that I would have to stop the match, and thought how to do it after losing the second set,” Novak said to the Serbian media.” Yet, I’ve tried to play a few more games, and had to give up fighting.”

Djokovic wouldn’t go in the details about the injury, as he was already frustrated enough with the development of the situation. He reached following four 3-0 wins, but truth to be told, he didn’t look quite right on the court.

“As I’ve been told, that is something which has been around for months, and the situation got worse with certain moves and twitches… After all that happened, I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Against Wawrinka, Djokovic was unconvincing, with massive oscillations. It was evident that this match isn’t going to end well for him when he lost the second set, allowing Wawrinka to make come back. As soon as that part of the contest ended he reached out for the medic and the massage. Still, the Joker didn’t want his injury to cast a shadow on his rival’s victory.

While speaking about his plans, and the recovery, Djokovic stated that he would need to undergo several medical evaluations before making a recovery schedule. All the tournaments ahead are under a question mark, and Djokovic said that the next 15 days would be crucial in his treatments.

“Tokyo is in the plan; I don’t know. The next two, two, and a half weeks are essential for my shoulder’s recovery. Unfortunately, I got an extra week because I finished the tournament earlier, and that will serve me good in the recovery process.”

Djokovic won four of previous five Grand Slam tournaments, and he is chasing Roger Federer’s trophy record. Right now, the Joker has 16 while FedEx sits at 20. In between is Rafael Nadal with 18. The way Djokovic played recently made everyone believing in his another success. Unfortunately for him and his fans, the injury was just too much.

He admitted that this failure hurts, but also added that in order to chase down Federer, his body has to be 100% fit, and that a long road is ahead of him. Because of this, Novak chose not to risk here, but to withdraw and to heal properly.

“Look, it’s no secret that I have, of course, desire and a goal to reach the most Slams, and reach Roger’s record. But at the same time, it’s a long road ahead hopefully for me. I hope I can play for many more years. I’m planning to,” said the no.1.

The crowd in New York was once again in the center of attention as they booed the Serb while he walked off the court. After incidents in the previous round he experienced, and all that happened with Daniil Medvedev, it seems that the tennis atmosphere at US Open is slowly becoming to look more like a football or a soccer one.

Djokovic stated that he understands the crowd because they paid highly expensive tickets to see him play.

We’ll see what happens with Novak in the future, and also keep you updated with the latest info from the US Open.