Injured Djokovic admits he felt some pain to his elbow when losing the Davis Cup doubles

The Serbian delegation to the Davis Cup, led by world No. 2 Novak Djokovic, experienced a surprise defeat against Russia in the quarter-finals of the team tournament on Friday. There have been a lot of theories as to the reason for the group’s poor performance. It seems now that its star player was experiencing physical difficulties during the deciding doubles match.

Novak Djokovic experienced elbow pain during Davis Cup

The Serbian tennis icon has now confessed that he experienced pain in his elbows during the doubles match he played with fellow Serb Victor Troicki against Russia. He said that he felt the pain during the first set after he did a quick move. In fact, he had to call in one of his trainers during the changeover period of the second set to check on it. Thankfully, the pain was no longer as bad by the time they reached the third set.

With Djokovic confirming that he felt pain in his elbows during the doubles match, he sparked reports that he has a possible elbow injury. It can be remembered that the Serb also experienced elbow issues in the U.S. Open in early September.

Just days before the Davis Cup, he also sensed a sharp pain in the same area during his match against Roger Federer in the ATP Finals. This has been pointed out as a possible reason why he lost against the Swiss Maestro in the heavily-publicized game.

During his post-match interviews in the ATP Finals, the Serbian assured fans that the elbow pain he has been experiencing in a recurring manner is nothing alarming. He also acknowledged that Federer really performed well during the game, which resulted in the Swiss icon’s first win against Djokovic since 2015.

Djokovic’s elbow problems

This is not the first time that Djokovic encountered problems with his elbows. In 2017, he had to take a leave for nearly six months from the tennis court because he had to get an elbow surgery. He later on confessed that he had been dealing with the elbow injury since 2016. He has been managing the pain that comes and goes in the area since then.

Serbia’s quarter-finals finish

Because of their loss, Serbia is unable to advance to the semifinals of the Davis Cup. Their quarter-finals placement was an improvement from the team’s first round finish last year. But it was a missed opportunity for the Davis Cup crowd to see Djokovic and Spanish rival Rafael Nadal play each other in the championship round.

After defeating Serbia, Russia will face off with Canada in the next round. Spain and Great Britain will compete in the other bracket.

Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2019

Ranked no.2, Djokovic played his last match on the 14^th of November when he surrendered to Roger Federer 6-4 6-3 in the R in London.

This year Novak has a 54-11 win-loss record. The Serbian conquered 5 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Madrid, in Wimbledon, in Tokyo and in Paris. Djokovic was the finalist in Rome.