Nick Kyrgios hits out at ATP amid Novak Djokovic injury scare
Nick Kyrgios has hit out at the ATP following a wrist injury sustained by Novak Djokovic and has called for action to be taken regarding the constant change of ball on tour.
The issue has been at the heart of debate on the men’s tour in recent times – an issue which forces players to alter their approach weekly to adapt to the different balls on offer at tournaments which has led to an increased number of injuries.
Change of balls every week finally got to novaks wrist 😭 the atp really need to do something about this problem. Players suffer all the time 🙏🏽
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) January 3, 2024
The World No.1 himself even cited a need for action during his campaign at the Davis Cup Finals, while Grand Slam champions Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz were also among those to air their concerns at the back end of last year.
Djokovic suffered his first defeat in Australia in 43 matches after a 6-4 6-4 loss at the hands of world No.12 Alex De Minaur in the United Cup play-offs on Wednesday morning. This might be the least of his worries though, as the Serb’s injury comes at a distasteful time with the Australian Open just a few weeks out.
Australia advanced to the semi-finals of the United Cup via a dominant 6-1 6-1 display from Ajla Tomljanovic over Natalija Stevanovic to back up the biggest win of De Minaur’s career to date.
Following his straight sets loss, Novak Djokovic said: “It [the wrist injury] did have quite an impact, particularly on the forehand and serve.
“But I don’t want to spend too much time talking about it and taking away credit from [Alex] De Minaur.”
The defending champion did, however, remain in high spirits as he looks ahead to his year’s Australian Open.
He added: “I hope I will not be injured this time around.
“We’re going to work on getting my body in the right shape and optimal state so that I can perform at a high level throughout the entire Australian Open.”
Inside the baseline…
Despite Djokovic playing it down, his wrist does seem to be hindering his performance. The Serb’s success on Australian soil has been a bankable feature over the past five years and a scare at this stage of the season comes at a very worrying time for him and his fans. The 24-time major champion will be closely monitoring the state of his wrist as he continues his preparations for the Aussie Open and this may see him pull out of the Adelaide International next week as a precaution. At 36, Djokovic is chasing yet more history and a wrist niggle like this won’t boost his hopes of completing a calendar slam – one of the few records he is yet to break.
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