Novak Djokovic could return to action earlier than expected at next week’s Eastbourne International according to his spokesman.
The former world No.1 will decider over the next 48 hours whether to play in the upcoming ATP 250 tournament in what will be his first pre-Wimbledon event on grass since 2010. Following his straight sets loss to Dominic Thiem at the French Open, Djokovic said playing an additional grass court tournament was an option. During that same press conference, he also talked about the possibility of taking a break from the sport.
A spokesman for the 30-year-old told The Times on Thursday that he will not be playing at either Queen’s or Halle next week. This therefore makes Eastbourne a strong contender for him to participate in for the first time in his career. If he did participate, Djokovic would be the only top-20 player in this year’s field.
“Novak didn’t decide yet, but [it] is true that he is taking in consideration to play this (Eastbourne) tournament,” Djokovic’s spokesman told The Time on Thursday.
According to The Metro, Djokovic has formally contacted organisers of the Eastbourne International about the possibility of him receiving a wildcard into the tournament. There has however been no formal agreement between Djokovic and the tournament. An LTA spokesman told metro.co.uk that the world No.4 was ‘considering a number of options.’
Djokovic is currently ranked fourth in the world, his lowest position since October 2009. During what has been a roller coaster season, the Serbian dismissed his coaching team in May following a series of disappointing results. He has since started working with Andre Agassi in what is currently on a temporary basis. It is also understood that Djokovic is looking for a second coach with recent speculation linking him to Radek Stepanek.
Since winning at Doha Open at the start of the year, Djokovic has only reached the final in one out of seven tournaments (Rome). He currently has a win-loss of 24-7 on the tour this season.
Djokovic’s Pre-Wimbledon tournament record
2005 – Queen’s QR2
2006 – s-Hertogenbosch – R2
2007 – Queen’s R3
2008 – Queen’s Finalist
2009 – Halle Finalist
2010 – Queen’s R3
2011-2016 – Played no ATP grass court events prior to Wimbledon
2017 – ?
