‘I am training without pain now’ – Novak Djokovic confident of Asian swing return

Novak Djokovic says he is now ‘training without pain’ as he targets a return to action on the Asian swing of the ATP Tour.

Djokovic won Wimbledon in dramatic fashion this summer, but struggled with a shoulder injury afterwards.

He kept it largely a secret at the US Open before it eventually forced him to retire injured against Stan Wawrinka in the last-16.

Following that match, Djokovic admitted that the shoulder had been causing him pain ‘for weeks,’ and he opted to skip the Laver Cup as a result.

However, after resuming practice with the Serbia Davis Cup team in Belgrade this week, Djokovic is confident he can make it out to Asia, where he hopes to defend his Shanghai Masters title.

“I have been training without pain for two days and that makes me optimistic about the idea of ​​fulfilling my calendar,” Djokovic is quoted as saying in the Express.

Look who is back to the office!… Wish you @DjokerNole a good recovery… Looking forward to see you fit at the @ATP_Tour pic.twitter.com/TGp7esEkDI

— Rothgo (@DecePPcionado) September 22, 2019

“Between today and tomorrow, I will decide if I play Tokyo, but I feel safe in Shanghai.”

Djokovic is still the world number one despite failing to defend his US Open crown, but now has a resurgent Rafael Nadal hot on his heels.

Look ahead to the rest of 2019 with our guides to every tournament on the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour. If you can’t visit the tournaments you love then do the next best thing and read our guide on how to watch all the ATP Tour matches on television in 2019. To read more amazing articles like this you can explore Tennishead digital magazine here or you can subscribe for free to our email newsletter here