Novak Djokovic gives MAJOR injury scare to fans after Adelaide exhibition fiasco

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic gave fans a massive scare after he pulled out of the ongoing Adelaide Super Slam event taking place in Adelaide on January 29. The 'A Day At The Drive' event is a one-off exhibition tournament that will see top-level players from both the Men's and the Women's circuits play each other before they move on to Melbourne for the ATP Cup 2021. Djokovic was slated to start the proceedings for the tournament but pulled out of his match against Italian up-and-comer Jannik Sinner with just a few minutes remaining.

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This already bizarre set of events became even weirder when Djokovic showed up halfway through the game to take over from country Filip Krajinovic who had taken the first set 6-3 as Djokovic's replacement. 8-time Australian Open champion Djokovic's popularity Down Under has come under some stress after he grabbed headlines for the list of suggestions he sent Tennis Australia to help players in lockdown. However, the thunderous applause he received from the 4000-strong audience in the stands was proof enough that at least in Adelaide, all is well for the Serbian.

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Stepping in at 6-3 in the best-of-two-set match, Djokovic made quick work of his 19-year-old opponent, taking him 6-3 to complete a consolidated victory. Even during the match, it was pretty apparent what had been keeping the Serb away from the court — a massive blister on his right hand. A sentimentalist through and through, Djokovic's reason for his peculiar return was one that most players should be able to relate to. “Seeing the almost full stands, I had to play, I had to play. We haven’t played in front of a crowd of this size for a long time, so this is very special,” Djokovic explained. 

Apologising for his delayed return to the court, Djokovic said, “I’m sorry that I didn’t step in on the court from the beginning. I had to do some treatment with my physio, I wasn’t feeling my best for the last two days and I didn’t know how I was going to react. Obviously, coming off a hard training block and having the ATP Cup and Australian Open coming up you don’t want to risk it too much”.

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Australian Open schedule

According to the final Australian Open schedule, the Slam will be preceded by the ATP Cup 2021. The second edition of the tournament, like the Slam, will see Djokovic try to defend the back-to-back titles he won in 2020. Djokovic and Krajinovic will once again play for Serbia as the ATP Cup kicks off on February 2 and continue on to the Australian Open on February 8. 

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Image Credits: Australian Open Twitter