Novak Djokovic has vowed to take as much recovery time as he needs to heal the right wrist injury which contributed to his 7-5, 6-2 Monte Carlo Masters semi-final loss to Roger Federer on Saturday.
Monte Carlo: Novak Djokovic has vowed to take as much recovery time as he needs to heal the right wrist injury which contributed to his 7-5, 6-2 Monte Carlo Masters semi-final loss to Roger Federer on Saturday.
But with the French Open just five weeks away, and his next scheduled event the Madrid Masters in a fortnight, timing is everything for the world number two Serb who won the 2013 Monte Carlo title against Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic revealed that he played in pain all week but did not risk retiring before his semi-final for fear of what kind of a reaction it would provoke.
In his younger days, the Serb was often accused of frivolous injury pullouts.
"The good thing is I don`t need to have a surgery, I don`t have any rupture or something like that," said Djokovic.
"I`m going to go see the doctors tonight and then tomorrow again have another MRI, see if anything changed in the seven days since I had the last one.
"I`ll just rest now. I cannot play tennis for some time -- how long, I don`t know. It`s really not in my hands anymore. I`m going to rest and see when it can heal 100%, then I will be back on the court."
Monte Carlo-based Djokovic admitted he had to play through the pain barrier all week in his aborted title defence.
"The pain was there every single day from 10 days ago, at some stages it was very painful. Between my first and second match I had a day off so I didn`t practise at all and I healed a little bit. Then again I started playing.
"Yesterday`s conditions (a win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in heavy night conditions) did not help the state of my arm -- long match, long rallies, heavy balls.
"I really don`t know the diagnosis, to be honest. I heard so many things in last 10 days. Trust me, it`s complicated."
While it`s too early for panic stations regarding the French Open -- the only Grand Slam title missing from his collection -- Djokovic is still puzzling as to exactly how he suffered his problem.
"I had two weeks between Miami and Monte Carlo (in March). It`s not like I was tired or I had some long trips or something like that. "It just happened during the practise week, sometimes it just happens. Sometimes it`s not predictable."
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.