Novak Djokovic has again given his fans cause for concern. The 37-year-old Serb has withdrawn from participating in the exhibition tournament at "Hurlingham" just a few days before the start of "Wimbledon". His decision comes against the backdrop of persistent physical problems throughout the season, which have already severely limited his appearances in official competitions.
In general, Djokovic does not like to play in the week immediately preceding Grand Slam tournaments. An exception to this rule over the years was the prestigious exhibition event in the United Kingdom, where he usually insisted on playing at least one unofficial grass-court match to get into a rhythm before "Wimbledon". This time, however, his body clearly does not allow for even such minimal exertion.
During the current season, health issues have accompanied the Joker almost constantly. As a result, he has had only four tournament appearances so far – an unusually small number for a tennis player of his class and ambitions. The withdrawal from the "Hurlingham" match only reinforces the sense that the Serb is not yet fully recovered and is carefully dosing every bit of physical load.
According to the initial plan, Djokovic was supposed to take to the court today against "Karen Khachanov". The format of the exhibition match stipulated that if a deciding set was reached, a "super tie-break" to 10 points would be played – a scheme that traditionally reduces the physical load in such matches. Nevertheless, even this shortened format was obviously deemed a risk to the Serb's health, considering that "Wimbledon" starts in just 4 days.
The place of the 24-time "major" champion in the schedule was taken by the American "Martin Damm". The organizers did not provide official information regarding the reasons for the change, which suggests that Djokovic himself preferred for the situation to remain as discreet as possible. No official explanation for the nature of his physical problems was given.
The fact that Novak Djokovic is missing one of the few opportunities for practice on grass inevitably raises questions about the form in which he will appear at "Wimbledon". On the other hand, the decision not to take risks in an exhibition match shows that his only priority is to preserve his health and strength as much as possible for the big stage of the "All England Club".