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Novak Djokovic says he will not play again this year

Sports
sport-dzokovic

Famous Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has surprised his fans saying he will not play again this year because of a longstanding elbow injury. The Serbian former world No 1 has been struggling with an elbow injury for several weeks and had already declared his intention to sit out the US Open. But that break from tennis will now stretch beyond the autumn. The 12-time grand slam winner was forced to retire from his Wimbledon quarter-final against Tomas Berdych with the injury, and he said at the time that he had been suffering with it for more than a year and a half. "I have consulted many doctors and specialists and various people from both ends of the medicine spectrum, especially in the last couple of months when I felt like the injury has been getting worse and they all agreed that I need to rest and need time. This is one of those injuries where it won't get better instantly, and you need natural rehabilitation to take its course,” he said. Djokovic's doctor said earlier that the 30-year-old could require three months' rest for his elbow problem. The Serb, who is expected to return in January for the Australian Open, added that he hopes to be playing tennis for "the next five years or more." Djokovic, currently ranked No 4, will likely find himself out of the world's top 10 by the end of the year for the first time since entering it a decade ago.