Novak Djokovic Might Not Play The US Open, Might Be Out 3 Months

Maybe he can pull a Rafa and come back strong from extended time off. Or maybe not, he is a different personality.

July 24th, 2017 at 2:41 pm

My guess is that this has been a long time coming. He’s too good a player to be done, so I expect that rest would do him good and he’d come back strong.

July 24th, 2017 at 2:44 pm

Glad to see Tennis X writers have caught up with what I posted about Nole approx. 5 hours ago. Tennis X – please send my cheque asap – I’m off to a Wedding shortly and would like to be generous to myself and also to my nephew. (Where’s Okie when I need an emoticon?).

July 24th, 2017 at 2:49 pm

As predicted , you don’t try to manage a elbow problem you’ve had for a year and half. You have to stop playing and using it. It doesn’t just go away. Remedy is considerable rest and rehab. It’s the only way back.

July 24th, 2017 at 4:11 pm

He would be advised to call time on the season, rest up and get ready for 2018 and the AO ….

July 24th, 2017 at 4:17 pm

Time off, looks like it is needed. Likely will go past just resting the elbow to a more holistic approach. Shoulder has issues too, spend time with newborn and son, keeping his fitness and cardio programs accommodating the elbow and shoulder problem, but at the intense level Djokovic has done for most of his pro career. And on the emotions side, getting spousal harmony as well as good Dad time with the kids, thinking about life post tennis with Mario and Andre. Work on getting happy but hopefully with less Pepe hearts and “show me your tits” addresses to the audience at court. Can’t build mental toughness to 2011 or 2015 levels unless he is happy, though.

July 24th, 2017 at 4:30 pm

Not sure what to think, really. If it’s the kind of injury that can fully heal, then I think his future comes down to how dedicated he is to continued excellence. He is just so so good and so very capable of preternatural levels of focus that I’m sure if he sets his sights on it then he will find other aspects of the game (and his athleticism in general) to cultivate.

In any case, I wish him all the best in recovery.

July 24th, 2017 at 9:58 pm

Inevitable news as it was, just a matter of announcing it. Maybe he can return in time for Paris and try qualify for WTF just to get some match practices, before next year.

But if he only return in Doha next year, he still has some 5 and a half months rest and recover.

July 24th, 2017 at 11:08 pm

I’m not going to be surprised too much if after taking the break,Novak once again will find a way to his winning self…and Andy too for that matter…and i predict,after taking 2017 by storm..Fedal will take a backseat in 2018 to allow this 2 to rule the tour once again…Vamos Big Four!!

July 24th, 2017 at 11:26 pm

Andy Murray plans to play US GS plus the two preceding tournaments – first is 7th August. Is he “hardy” or “foolhardy”?

July 25th, 2017 at 8:19 am

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2017/07/25/andy-murray-steps-rehabilitation-boost-us-open-chances-novak/ I’ve got this Kath. Doesn’t say he will, says he’s “confident” he will.

July 25th, 2017 at 9:38 am

A rare moment of unanimity on Tennis-X. Someone frame this thread.

Yes, FFS, take care of yourself. You tried playing through it – time for plan B.

If you’re Novak, you MUST look at Fed and Rafa and say, look what they did with REAL time off to heal their bodies, hone their fitness, and get their mental energy back. Not that its that easy, and no guarantees its will work for Novak, but those are very powerful examples Novak has witness for himself.

For the elbow, i think Skeeze is likely right. If its tennis elbow or some other tendonitis, total rest for a few weeks, and then very slowly returning to use, is the only remedy. Otherwise, you’re just managing the problem, which will work sometimes and fail sometimes.

In addition, all the guys are dealing with smaller injuries all the time. There is just not enough offseason. Time off lets Novak come back with a clean body, perhaps for the first time in years.

Mentally, who knows? it couldn’t hurt. Probably a few months of changing diapers will motivate him for the tour. I’m a dad, I love my kids, but if I had a good excuse to get out of some of the mundane and exhausting chores, I’d be match fit for Australia.

July 25th, 2017 at 10:34 am

Bad news for Novak fans, but he is one of all time greats and he will come back stronger. That would be good for tennis; a weak and hobbled Novak is no good.

July 25th, 2017 at 3:18 pm

Margot: You may be right – but will try to find my source and check.

July 25th, 2017 at 3:39 pm

For Margot:

http://www.eurosport.co.uk/tennis/us-open/2017/_sto6266203/story.shtml

July 25th, 2017 at 3:42 pm

Kath: That’s what the Telegraph article said, all I’m saying is there are only two certainties in this life and, unfortunately, Andy being fit enough to play at the USOpen isn’t one of them.

July 26th, 2017 at 7:51 am

Margot:

Maybe Cincinatti will prove to be informative. I shan’t be around for it – so if he’s hops, limps, and loses early, I’ll find out later.

July 26th, 2017 at 8:15 am

http://metro.co.uk/2017/07/26/novak-djokovic-out-for-the-rest-of-2017-amid-elbow-injury-problems-6807139/

July 26th, 2017 at 8:37 am

Live on Facebook just now Novak saying he will miss the rest of the season ….

July 26th, 2017 at 8:38 am

Wish Nole all the best in his recovery time!…Can’t help but hoping Andy will do the same…and both can come back stronger next year..

July 26th, 2017 at 9:01 am

From willow link;

“A doctor from his home country claimed he had injured himself further from ‘excessive playing’

July 26th, 2017 at 9:03 am

^Oh dear then ^ ….

July 26th, 2017 at 9:15 am

AndiMira it depends how serious Andys injury is i suppose, there will be a big hole if both were to miss the USO and the rest of the season, and i dont know if missing chunks of the season and then coming back means instantanious success, it took Rafa 3 years between GS , and Roger 5, add to that both players will be almost 31, its not young in tennis terms ….

July 26th, 2017 at 9:21 am

Yeah Willow…I agree with what u said…But,i believe this is not only about an injury..but it’s about Andy NEEDS to rest…BADLY!…My God!He put his body an amount of pressure last year especially in the 2nd half of the season…he pushed it so hard to get to No 1…and get so little rest at the end of last year when he rushed to Florida to start a very intensive training block with lendl…His body don’t have much time to recover…and it resulted with a series of illness and injury afterward…

That is the way his body tried to ‘tell’ him that ‘they’ need to rest…of coz we didn’t know after taking a break everything will back to normal…But,i believe if you’re healthy,fit and your mind also fresh…winning will come naturally to u….like Fedal already proved it this year…

July 26th, 2017 at 10:21 am

Bad news but necessary. He never had an extended break before and he is still not that old. Also, even with his compromise game he was still good enough to make 2 Slams QF. Imagine when he is back, fully fit and mentally fresh. If he keeps the same aproach Federer had he can recover in 2018 step by step.

July 26th, 2017 at 10:55 am

Poor Nole. :( Elbow injuries are horrible.

July 26th, 2017 at 11:37 am

AM: I know absolutely zilch about the people playing Nanchang and look! Top of the bracket….lol!

July 26th, 2017 at 11:39 am

Hey M!!…Know zilch or not…check this out Milady!!

http://www.tennisdrawchallenge.com/group/standings/68/wta/bracket/2017-nanchang

http://www.tennisdrawchallenge.com/group/standings/68/atp/bracket/2017-atlanta

July 26th, 2017 at 11:46 am

Tennis Vagabond – Great 10:34 post by you. Telling it how it is!

Margot – Tennis at the level the Big 4 (and many below them ) play at demands almost everything work well. Every joint, ligament, muscle need to retrieve, hit back a ball, to serve..the space between the ears has to work well on consistently, too. Elbow is bad, like you say. Takes time to heal, may require painful anti-inflammatory injections when he resumes playing, and can emerge again 20 years after someone stops playing. (Witness pictures of Becker’s grotesque right elbow when he started coaching Novak). But for druthers…better the elbow than del Potro’s wrists, or Rafas constant battle to stay a great player despite his knee issues. The one that somehow bothers me the most is a shoulder injury in a promising player that turns a tremendous player into “what could have been but for the shoulder issues wrecking the serve.” Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Vera Zevonereva, Dementieva

July 26th, 2017 at 4:32 pm