Peter Larkins, a well-known doctor from Australia, was stunned when he saw the severity of Novak Djokovic’s injury and how the Serbian tennis star managed to finish his match against Carlos Alcaraz and step onto the court against Alexander Zverev.
The Serbian player was forced to retire after the first set of the semifinal against the German, as his movement had become severely limited.
Fans jeered him off the court, unaware of what was actually happening in his body. Djokovic later decided to share an MRI scan to show the state of his injury.
“For all the ‘experts,’” Djokovic wrote ironically.
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In light of this, the renowned outlet The Age consulted Larkins for his expert opinion. Specializing in sports injury recovery, Larkins is highly qualified to comment on the matter.
“This is a significant strain. It’s not career-ending, but I find it quite incredible that he managed to play several matches after the initial injury,” Larkins stated.
He explained that this was the reason Djokovic’s movement was limited in his most recent competitive match.
“Novak is an athletic type, very mobile on the court. We’ve all seen those signature slides he performs… It’s no surprise he was restricted against Zverev. There’s no doubt about it—this is exactly what the MRI scan confirms.”
Larkins ventured to predict how long Djokovic might be sidelined.
“He won’t lose his fitness because he’ll be in the gym and swimming, but I’d be surprised if he plays any tournaments in the next six weeks.”
This would mean Djokovic will almost certainly miss the Doha tournament, with a possibility of his next appearance being on the clay court season.
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Source: Nova.rs, Photo: Screenshot X Djokernole; Profimedia Mark Avellino / AFP