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Novak Djokovic to reassess injury after AusOpen loss

By Harry Floyd

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 22: Novak Djokovic of Serbia looks dejected in his fourth round match against Hyeon Chung of South Korea on day eight of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 22, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 22: Novak Djokovic of Serbia looks dejected in his fourth round match against Hyeon Chung of South Korea on day eight of the 2018 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 22, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) /
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Novak Djokovic’s run at the 2018 Australian Open comes to an end in the fourth round of play. He falls to South Korea’s Hyeon Chung in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic says that his elbow injury was evident at the end of the first set during his fourth round match with Hyeon Chung. Then, the six-time Australian Open champion had to deal with the problem for the remainder of play.

Chung is heading into his first ever quarterfinals appearance at the Grand Slam event. Djokovic, on the other hand, is going to reassess the status of his elbow after the loss.

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Many players and fans alike believed that Djokovic stood a chance at Melbourne Park this year. He appeared in solid form during his earlier matches. Even battling the heat in his match against Gael Monfils, the Serbian outlasted the French tennis star for a hard fought victory.

Roger Federer was among those who picked Djokovic as an outside contender for the title. Nole’s six titles at the Australian Open are difficult to ignore, even if he is not at 100 percent strength. Now though, the waiting game begins.

After the loss, Djokovic announced that he is going to reassess the elbow injury.

He will consult his playing team, medical team, and those close to him in order to determine his next step moving forward. Obviously, the biggest fear is that the former world No. 1 will need to take even more time away from the ATP World Tour. Just this past month, Andy Murray announced that he is out for several months after undergoing surgery on his injured hip. A similar amount of time away from the courts could also be in store for Djokovic.

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Still alive at Melbourne Park is defending champion Federer. Both he and Rafael Nadal are into the quarterfinals at the major tournament. They remain heavy favorites for the title and could spell a rematch of last year’s finals if they can both continue to advance. Stay tuned to see how Novak Djokovic fares in the aftermath of his Australian Open loss. Check back for updates on his health and to see how he progresses in the coming weeks.

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