Novak Djokovic’s preparation for the Australian Open has suffered a minor setback after the world No.5 was force to end a training session early on Wednesday due to an issue with his right leg.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion took to the court for a hit with Daniil Medvedev at Melbourne Park. He was scheduled to train for 75 minutes but ended up leaving after only 36 minutes after losing a practice set 6-4 to the Russian.
Djokovic was recently hindered by a hamstring issue during his run to the Adelaide International title last week. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the Serbian confirmed that he underwent some late-night treatment in order to get him ready for the final where he defeated Sebastian Korda in three sets after more than three hours of play.
“Few times in the match (against Korda) I felt I was tightening up the muscle, but nothing that would worry me for my performance,” said Djokovic.
Despite Djokovic’s positive words concerning the issue, it appears to be still bothering him less than a week before the first Grand Slam of 2023. During his practice session on Wednesday, the former world No.1 underwent some treatment on his leg whilst hitting with Medvedev. Leading the set 3-2, a member of Djokovic’s team conducted some knee extensions with him before he resumed playing.
There has been no public word from the Djokovic camp concerning his decision to leave training early and it is assumed that he did so only as a precautionary measure.
Djokovic, who has won 34 consecutive Tour matches on Australian soil since 2019, is scheduled to play Nick Kyrgios in another exhibition match which will take place on Friday. Tickets for that event sold out in less than an hour with money generated from the sales going towards charity.
The Serbian is seeking to win the Australian Open for a historic 10th time this year in what will be his first appearance at the event since 2021. He was unable to play last year after being deported from the country following a legal battle concerning the legitimacy of his visa.
The draw for the Australian Open will take place on Thursday before the action gets underway on Monday.
