Novak Djokovic is hopeful of returning to the tour within the next couple of weeks following his withdrawal from the US Open.
The 16-time grand slam champion was forced to retire from his fourth round match at the New York major due to a shoulder injury. An issue that has been troubling the Serbian in the weeks leading up to the event. The setback has opened the door for Rafael Nadal to return back to the top of the rankings in the coming weeks. Nadal is just over 600 points behind Djokovic in the race, but has none to defend for the rest of the season.
It is still up in the air as to when the 32-year-old will return to the tour with the best case scenario being at the very end of this month. However, he admits that his shoulder problem is of a ‘more serious nature.’
“I would like to tell you when I will be back, but I really do not know exactly. I monitor the results of rehabilitation every day. I monitor how the shoulder responds to recovery,” Djokovic told RTS Serbia.
“Unfortunately, the injury was of a more serious nature. It prevented me from continuing the tournament in New York. I’m very sorry. It’s one of the four biggest tournaments, especially important in the second part of the season.”
There has been speculation that surgery might be required to treat the injury following an article published by The New York Times. Something that has since been dismissed by Djokovic and his team with no mention of such a procedure being considered.
Djokovic is bidding to be ready in time for the Japan Open, which will get underway on September 30th. Something he describes as an ‘ideal scenario.’ He has never played an ATP tournament in the country so far in his professional career.
“I hope to be on the court in a week or two. For now, in an ideal scenario, the plan is to play Tokyo.
So far this season Djokovic has won 41 out of 49 matches played on the tour and claimed three titles. Including both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. He also won the Madrid Open, in what was his first clay-court title since 2016.
This week is Djokovic’s 269th as world No.1. He has now overtaken Jimmy Connors on the all-time list for most time spent in the top spot. The record is currently held by Roger Federer at 310 weeks.
