Novak Djokovic has made an art form out of pushing his body to the fullest in tennis matches, but has been relatively fortunate throughout his career to avoid major injuries from derailing his performance. However, as the Serb enters his late 30s, his body will go under strain — and while he will battle through it, the fighting champion that he is, and likely win trophies while he is at it, it is certainly something that worries his fans.
Another cause for concern was added recently, as Djokovic shared videos of him training ahead of Wimbledon, in which his right elbow was covered in an elbow sleeve. This is not a new issue, as Djokovic was playing with a sleeve throughout the first part of the year, prominently in the clay court swing leading up to Roland Garros.
Djokovic has greatly stripped down the make-up of his tennis season, gearing his body towards being in the best shape possible for the slams. This means he participates in fewer peripheral tournaments as he might have done in the past, trusting his own levels to rise when they matter most without the competitive practice beforehand. It has aided in Djokovic’s longevity, as he continues to be the best and most athletic player on tour even at 36.
However, the recurrence of this elbow issue might cause some concern, since it affects his dominant right arm. Such injuries have affected long stretches of time for tennis athletes, if not entire careers.
{{/usCountry}}However, the recurrence of this elbow issue might cause some concern, since it affects his dominant right arm. Such injuries have affected long stretches of time for tennis athletes, if not entire careers.
{{/usCountry}}Djokovic has only had one spell since his incredible 2011 breakout season that he has missed considerable time on the tour, going back to an 18-month period in 2017-18 when Djokovic was uncharacteristically inconsistent, getting knocked out of the major tournaments early. The injury layoff was also due to his right elbow causing him pain and discomfort, and it took him a while away from tour before returning to clinch the 2018 Wimbledon title. Since then, he hasn’t looked back.
However, it is slightly alarming to see the same elbow wrapped up again. Djokovic did state in a press conference during Roland Garros that he didn’t wish to share too much information about the state of his elbow, but it largely wouldn’t matter as he eased through the entire draw to raise his third title in Paris and break Rafael Nadal’s grand slam count record.
The Serb, now back to world number one, has played through injury in the past — notably the Australian Open 2021, at which he tore an abdominal oblique muscle but continued to play despite the further damage he was causing. He would remarkably lift that trophy, earning plaudits from experts and his fellow players.
However, over the course of his career, his fellow players have also often complained about Djokovic making use of red-herring medical time-outs to interrupt their flow, often seeing bouncing back quickly and powerfully after low spells in matches. Djokovic holding his cards close to his chest regarding his elbow might be psychological as well, earning him some sort of edge in his defense of the Wimbledon title, where he stands to equal Roger Federer’s record at the top of the pile with 8 titles this summer.