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Novak Djokovic is set to return to tennis for the first time in almost five months due to an elbow injury. The Serb who hasn’t played since Wimbledon, will be back on court on Friday in Abu Dhabi.
Ranked No. 12 now, the former No. 1 is anxious to get back to the top and win more Grand Slams, as he told Sport 360:
I would lie to you and I would not be honest, not to you, to myself, if I tell you anything less than being No. 1 and winning Slams,” he says of his post-injury objectives.
“I know that I’ve done it in the past, I’ve proven to myself that I can do it and why not aim for it again? Because I feel that, first of all, I have the willpower. Which is the most important thing. You need to really want something, you need to wish for it, you need really strongly believe and commit to that. So I am.
“And not just myself, which is very important, my family, my wife, my children are there, my parents, my brothers, and my team, are very supportive of me and they’re giving me that energy that I need.
Djokovic returns to the game with a second baby – Tara, born in September – and an additional coach in Radek Stepanek.
“So we’re starting to spend more and more time with each other and I still look forward to get to know him even better,” Djokovic said to Sport 360. “I was very happy with how our couple of weeks of training went in Monaco. Andre Agassi was there as well and it was the perfect week because everybody was together, the whole new team, and we obviously put objectives, daily objectives, long-term objectives, between us, and on paper, and discussing how we can improve my game and how I can play as efficiently as possible, with less energy spending as possible.”
He also understands that after his first lengthy injury, he needs to be cautious in his return.
“It really depends on how my elbow reacts to all this month, month and a half of training, playing and matches,” he said of his January schedule which takes him to Abu Dhabi, Doha and Melbourne. “I hope I will make it through the entire month and just play well and go deep in Australia.”
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