Novak Djokovic Withdraws From Doha As Australian Open Doubts Remain - UBITENNIS

Novak Djokovic Withdraws From Doha As Australian Open Doubts Remain

By Tony Fairbairn
2 Min Read
Novak Djokovic (zimbio)

Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open hopes hang by a thread after he announced his withdrawal from the 250 event in Doha.

The 12 time grand slam champion’s elbow injury is more serious than first thought as he announced on Facebook that he will need more medical examinations by his doctor. As a result the Serb has pulled out of Doha, a tournament that he is defending champion at. Here is the statement below:

The Serbian also pulled out of yesterday’s Abu Dhabi exhibition raising concerns about the start of his 2018 campaign. Novak Djokovic hasn’t played since he retired against Tomas Berdych in the Wimbledon Quarter-Finals back in July.

Should The ATP Season Be Shorter?

Novak Djokovic isn’t the only player who has injury concerns heading into the first grand slam of the season. The likes of Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori all have injuries to deal with before the Australian Open.

Which once again raises the issue if the ATP World Tour should be shorter? It is impossible to think that if these injuries continue to effect the big names on the tour, that the ATP won’t start doing something about it.

These injuries are effecting the interest of the ATP for a general audience and this has to be a concern that Chris Kermode has to start thinking about. If the ATP World Tour calendar ended at the same time as the WTA Tour, would we see so many injuries?

However we live in the present and so attention turns to the first week of the season, but the question remains, how many of these big stars will attend the Australian Open?

The first grand slam of the year starts on Monday 15th of January.

 

 

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