Djokovic injury

It appears as if Novak has injured himself in the DC match against Delpo.

Delpo was leading 7-5, 2-0 when Novak pulled up during a rally and crumpled to the floor.

He had to retire and was in tears I mean really crying loads.

Prior to the injury he looked to be moving pretty well and it was a well contested match.

DO you know what was the injury? I said just two days ago here that the 2 things that really impress me about DJoko was his mental strength and the fact he was playing without taping his ankles....knowing how much scrapping he was doing. When tired, like you would after the USO, you are much more likely to injure your joints.

Hope he is ok!

It's hard to tell.

The commentators were speaking spanish..

but he appeared to be clutching his back and seemed to be in a lot of pain.

I was shocked to see him crying - never seen that before.

Yes, look like it's the back.

Murray will now be number 1, by default.

Djoko's peak has finished. He gave all he could this year, and well done to him. He will spend now the next 6 months in his egg chamber and the next 6 maybe with a couple of Masters and not much more.

That's pretty premature Jahu. Maybe he might out of action for a while, who knows for now, we'll see what happens.

Hoping its nothing serious and for a swift recovery. Tennis needs him right now.

Delpo was leading 7-5, 2-0

First set was a tiebreak...

Djokovic's injury...

A recurrence of the back and rib injuries, which were an issue at the US Open. One hopes of course, that this will not be anything chronic.

Testament here to Roger Federer who won so much, for so long, and never seemed to be really injured. Until his back started to become a bit of an issue, he has been tremendous in his conditioning throughout his career. A relatively effortless style of play.

Nadal's game, often described as being so hard and taxing on his body - it is - wondering where Djokovic will find himself after a season that has been also very taxing on his body.

With the amount of running, body torquing, and the "splits" he does retrieving balls, this must exact quite a toll on him. Watching him on so many occasions, I have wondered how long his body can "deal" with that, without there being a "tax" on his physical condition?

I hope this isn't the beginning of physical issues, and I am sure his conditioning team have kept him cross training, stretching, and doing a multitude of exercises to keep him strong. However, it does take it's toll.

2011, if he didn't play another match, has been an unparallelled success; it will be interesting to see how 2012 unfolds for him, bearing in mind the pressure that he will undoubtedly feel, defending so many titles and points.

I wish him well.

He really shouldn't have played this anyway, Del Potro will sadly know he never really 'won'.

Obviously not suggesting this is a fake in any way, but how many retirements is this now for Djokovic?

Doesn't it show how unorthodox is a DHBH? How many have had back problems in their life?

Mecir (retired early because of it)
Rios (same)
Safin (troubled all his career too)
Nalbandian (same as above)
Agassi (though a long career said his back pain was not tolerable at the end)
Murray often complains about it
Djoko - I thought his physical preparation was so professional that he'd be ok...yet

Nadal seems to be the exception. Probably cause he can turn around his BH very often and also he has probably a very strong abdomnial belt.

Djokovic effectively lost Serbia the Davis Cup in front of all his country folk in Belgrade. Being such a patriot I am sure this was the main reason for his tears, although pulling muscles in your back and ribs can be excruciating.

This is what he is quoted as saying:
"I feel very disappointed to end the tie in this way," he said. "I tried although I was only 60% fit and I went into the match knowing there was a risk of aggravating the injury which I first felt at the US Open. We knew my condition was not good but we believed that even so I would have a better chance against Del Potro than my team-mate Viktor Troicki would, at the end of the day it was my decision and it backfired."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/14965516.stm

Feel sad for him. Sometimes these players seem so young to have the weight of expectation on their shoulders. In Djokovics case the weight of a nation...

I hope he can get better with a few weeks rest, but I was going crazy hearing that he was going to play this 5 set match just a few days after the USO. If he wants to have continued grandslam success he needs to can the davis cup. It is too much of a grind to throw in the Davis Cup when you are reaching the finals of every tournament you enter.

Wish him well - I was amazed he came through the final at the US Open, he has looked less fluent since Cincy. Hope very much we see him fully recovered for London. He should give Shanghai a miss methinks.

This was such a bad move by Novak, I hope this is his last Davis Cup match for awhile. He can't keep carrying their davis cup team and playing in the finals of every event he enters. It isn't smart, Fed in his peak pretty much gave davis cup the boot for much of his dominant run and that was a smart move.

[quote="socal1976"]This was such a bad move by Novak, I hope this is his last Davis Cup match for awhile. He can't keep carrying their davis cup team and playing in the finals of every event he enters. It isn't smart, Fed in his peak pretty much gave davis cup the boot for much of his dominant run and that was a smart move. [/quote]

Fed is no Nole when it comes to love for his country. Novak will play all his DC matches if he is healthy. It was unfortunate he had such a grueling season and had already been injured this time, should've given this one a miss, but hindsight is a marvelous thing , isn't it?

noleisthebest wrote:

socal1976 wrote:This was such a bad move by Novak, I hope this is his last Davis Cup match for awhile. He can't keep carrying their davis cup team and playing in the finals of every event he enters. It isn't smart, Fed in his peak pretty much gave davis cup the boot for much of his dominant run and that was a smart move.

Fed is no Nole when it comes to love for his country. Novak will play all his DC matches if he is healthy. It was unfortunate he had such a grueling season and had already been injured this time, should've given this one a miss, but hindsight is a marvelous thing , isn't it?

The circumstances are slightly different though. Switzerland and Serbia are poles apart, the latter is an emerging country trying to put themselves on the map with Djokovic as their standard-bearer. Switzerland just doesn't have that, not saying no one in Switzerland cares but it is very different. I do feel that once a player becomes number one and a multislam winner that they almost transcend the Davis Cup, which is one of the problems the competition has. Yes, Djokovic has showed commendable loyalty so far but can only be compared to Federer on this front once he has more seasons like this. We are already seeing how difficult it is to fight on all fronts.

noleisthebest wrote:

socal1976 wrote:This was such a bad move by Novak, I hope this is his last Davis Cup match for awhile. He can't keep carrying their davis cup team and playing in the finals of every event he enters. It isn't smart, Fed in his peak pretty much gave davis cup the boot for much of his dominant run and that was a smart move.

Fed is no Nole when it comes to love for his country. Novak will play all his DC matches if he is healthy. It was unfortunate he had such a grueling season and had already been injured this time, should've given this one a miss, but hindsight is a marvelous thing , isn't it?

How do you know what Fed thinks about his country? Fed makes less noise about his country but so what? It is something of a feature of sportsmen and women from former Yugoslavia that we hear a lot about their countries for reasons which are based substantially in their rather unlovely recent history. I think you'll find Fed's countrymen are very happy with what he's done and don't doubt his commitment. During his period of dominance any Swiss Davis Cup team has effectively been a two-man team at World Group level - only Stan Wawrinka has been up to standard meaning that they'd have to play 3 matches each.

Djoko has been in a team with more than a few decent players - right now there are 3 top 20 singles players and one of the world's very best doubles players. When the Swiss team had anything like that depth Fed played in every round (2003-2004), but since then he's done far more to raise the profile of Switzerland as a sporting nation whilst maximising his singles potential although he's still found time to win an Olympic Gold with Stan and play in every WG play-off except for 2010 (for which 'atoned' by playing both ties this year).

DC changes during a career - for a player on the up it is an honour and a step up in quality. Once they are within the very top ranks and probably playing a lot of matches because they make so many F's and SF's it is a drain for relatively little return. Unless you play for a country with a lot of top players the 'team' is basically you, and maybe A. N. Other if you are lucky.

Interestingly, if you look at Djoko's attendance in 2011 prior to the SF it was limited to one doubles match vs. Sweden. I suspect that you will find that if his singles career continues in a similar vein to 2011 his DC attendances will most probably suffer. And I'd say why not - he's done his bit for the team and if he wants to raise the profile of Serbian sport he'll reach many more by winning slams than grinding away in the almost irrelevant DC.

Nitb, I love his patriotism and I appreciate what he and Davis cup means to his country. But I think people will be just as proud if he is able to maintain his winning and dominance of the tour. He really needs to consider taking next year off from davis cup maybe if he is feeling well and they get to the semis without him then start participating. The demands of #1 are very stringent and he needs to rest himself.

socal - as I suggested it looks as though Djoko has started doing just that in 2011. If Fed had back-up in the Swiss team I'm sure he'd emerge for a SF match in the same way as he does for the play-offs.

I always thought Nole's style is more demanding than Nadal's actually (remember Nadal has been playing at a consistently higher level than Nole for much longer but in recent times has been relatively injury free). Nole's stretches where he almost does the splits is going to ruin his groin ligaments over time, and will also strain his back. I think his service action is also quite heavy on his back with the amount of arch he puts into it.

Tenez, good points about the DHBHs. With Nadal I would also suggest because he plays left-handed but his right hand is dominant that he gets alot more strength/support from the other side of his body than normal, i.e. he almost has 2 forehands - and we know forehands dont tend to produce back injuries - this is why he can play those outrageous BH's when stretched outwide and you wonder where he gets the power from the blast them back, its because he's got the strength/support of his right arm. However, at times I think the extra support from that side makes his mistime the shot quite abit. I also think an unusually strong "other" side makes it more difficult for him to hit the down the line BH as the tendency is for his dominant arm to pull the ball crosscourt.

It is something of a feature of sportsmen and women from former Yugoslavia that we hear a lot about their countries for reasons which are based substantially in their rather unlovely recent history.

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There is something of an aggressive patriotism that seems to pervade the culture of citizens of these countries, in particular Serbia. An us-against-the-world mentality. It is very evident (even moreso since Novak has started winning) in a lot of tennis forums. I find it rude, crass and unsettling.

I quite agree Emancipator . In fact I am beginning to DREAD

Serbia/Croatia matches !



It doesn't matter where in the World said matches take place

but the out-come between the 2 warring Countries is the same.



Mayhem and Fighting !

"I find it rude, crass and unsettling."

That's why this country hasn't had a slam winner for, how did Fed put it....a thousand years?
Too much finery and facade, not enough fire and heart.

You are becoming too PC emancipator...

As for Serbia Croatia matches, well, good job Norther Ireland and R. Ireland are no good at tennis....

not enough fire and heart.

I don't really blame the players for being the position they are, I blame the LTA for not being good at looking for talent, rather than spotting wealthy kids on the finest pristine courts, it's this elitism which has harmed any chances GB will ever have. Alot of youngsters who have anti social/poor background will often turn out to be more passionate at sport than guys who have wealth to fall back on

noleisthebest wrote:"I find it rude, crass and unsettling."

That's why this country hasn't had a slam winner for, how did Fed put it....a thousand years?
Too much finery and facade, not enough fire and heart.

If the price of having a tennis champion is nationalistic fervour in sport within 20 years of a ghastly civil war I'll put up with having none for another thousand years.

Sweden and Switzerland seem to have managed anyway.

Since we mentioned patriotism, Novak's three finger salute when he wins matches is the most disgusting and tragic use of extreme nationalistic insignia, known all too good to all non-serbs in ex-YU wars. It is equal to Hitlers salute to all surviving WW2 victims, beeing paraded on prime time TV, and unfortunatly Serbs consider themselvs a 'heavenly nation'.

Anyway when politics, sports and war-torn mentality is mixed, there is nothing left for decent sportmanship.

noleisthebest wrote:"I find it rude, crass and unsettling."

That's why this country hasn't had a slam winner for, how did Fed put it....a thousand years?
Too much finery and facade, not enough fire and heart.

You are becoming too PC emancipator...

As for Serbia Croatia matches, well, good job Norther Ireland and R. Ireland are no good at tennis....

You are slightly missing the point here Nole !

Serbia and Croatia fans seem to unsettle whatever tennis tournament whatever. wherever, and

when it is played !

Usually accompanied by a throwing of chairs, bottles, and even spectators - and there

baying noises in suppport if *their* player can be a constant annoyance.

[quote="yummymummy"][quote="noleisthebest"]"I find it rude, crass and unsettling."

That's why this country hasn't had a slam winner for, how did Fed put it....a thousand years?
Too much finery and facade, not enough fire and heart.

You are becoming too PC emancipator...

As for Serbia Croatia matches, well, good job Norther Ireland and R. Ireland are no good at tennis....

[/quote]



You are slightly missing the point here Nole !

Serbia and Croatia fans seem to unsettle whatever tennis tournament whatever. wherever, and

when it is played !

Usually accompanied by a throwing of chairs, bottles, and even spectators - and there

baying noises in suppport if *their* player can be a constant annoyance.[/quote]

The "chairs" have happened only once at AO ages ago....

Nothing happened at Wimbledon when Novak played Dodig. He constantly thrashes Cilic, Ljubicic etc and I don't remember any incidents.
I don't hold it against any nation to be proud of their athletes or whomever if it makes them a little happier and better. There will always be a bunch of lost yobs there, unfortunately.
In England they mainly watch football.

So you as a Nole fan are above and better than english football fans?

[quote="Jahu"]So you as a Nole fan are above and better than english football fans?[/quote]

Your name rings a bell. Not a nice one, though. Keep your efforts to tennis talk here, this is no tennis.com.

Sport and nationalism are often uncomfortable bedfellows. I think Novak is a great extrovert and huge personality. I haven't minded most of his celebrations, but some of the things being written in some forums atm are a reason for disquiet when we consider the racial tensions and the genocide in former Yugoslavia.

It is not that Novak's behaviour or sentiments are called into question at all, but he has a responsibility now to conduct celebrations with dignity and make sure that looney elements can't latch on in a sinister way to overt displays of Serbian nationalism by his supporters.

[quote="time please"]Sport and nationalism are often uncomfortable bedfellows. I think Novak is a great extrovert and huge personality. I haven't minded most of his celebrations, but some of the things being written in some forums atm are a reason for disquiet when we consider the racial tensions and the genocide in former Yugoslavia.

It is not that Novak's behaviour or sentiments are called into question at all, but he has a responsibility now to conduct celebrations with dignity and make sure that looney elements can't latch on in a sinister way to overt displays of Serbian nationalism by his supporters.[/quote


To me Nole has always been the same. I don't think he is doing anything different now. He's just had a phenomenal year. I think that is the only problem.

[quote="noleisthebest"]

time please wrote:Sport and nationalism are often uncomfortable bedfellows. I think Novak is a great extrovert and huge personality. I haven't minded most of his celebrations, but some of the things being written in some forums atm are a reason for disquiet when we consider the racial tensions and the genocide in former Yugoslavia.

It is not that Novak's behaviour or sentiments are called into question at all, but he has a responsibility now to conduct celebrations with dignity and make sure that looney elements can't latch on in a sinister way to overt displays of Serbian nationalism by his supporters.

noleisthebest wrote:To me Nole has always been the same. I don't think he is doing anything different now. He's just had a phenomenal year. I think that is the only problem.

I don't think he is doing anything different either NITB, and I defended him from the Rafateers after Wimbledon who were not keen on his celebrations or Serbia's at all - actually pointed out that it was fabulous for Serbia to have something so good to celebrate especially as Mladic had recently been arrested and with that came remembrances of a Serbia with a dark recent history. I think Nole is a young man, with an exuberant personality, who is rightfully thoroughly enjoying his triumphs. In short, I think he is a good guy.

I can't put what I mean any better than the last paragraph of my post above (not that I think it is brilliant - sounded a little complacent there - but I am dead on my feet and can't think anymore! )

time please,

i think I know where you're coming from but am not sure a sanitized Nole would still be Nole....
The world has had enough of squeaky, smug, condescending "niceness". I really enjoy Nole, he is such a breath of fresh air.
He is maturing and getting wiser.
At the end of the day, despite all the cash he's making and ATP/sponsors that have kind of enabled it for him (just like they did and will do for anybody else who puts in the same work and talent), Novak is answerable to his conscience, not the money that he is earning.
After all, how can you carry on with dignity if you can't look yourself in the eye.

I don't see much of a problem with Novak, he goes out of his way when he plays the croatian players to give them love on the court to embrace them after the match and I have seen him calm the crowd down in matches with cilic when his supporters went over the line. I think a lot of you guys who lived in first world nations don't understand the sort of inferiority complex that countries that are second and third world countries feel and so when their sportsmen have success they tend to celebrate it as a badge of national honor. It is easy for the English or American sports fans to be less nationalistic in their cheering of sports heros. But in countries that have been in war or been colonized, or are on lower socioeconomic rung life is hard so they hold onto this little ray of sunshine that sporting success provides them a little more vociefirously. For example, whenever the english teams play any of their former colonies I always root for the poorer colonials like Nigeria or egypt. I have nothing against England's national team, I just know that it means that little bit more to those poorer countries with a dark recent history to have that little bit of success and pride that sports can provide.