Injured Novak Djokovic Soldiers On And Sparks Serbia To Davis Cup Victory

Written by: Staff on 8th April 2013

Injured Novak Djokovic Soldiers On And Sparks Serbia To Davis Cup Victory

epa03653153 Novak Djokovic of Serbia reaches down for a ball against Sam Querrey of the US during the 2013 Davis Cup World Group quarter final at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho, USA, 07 April 2013. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

Novak Djokovic’s clay court plans seemed to have been thrown into disarray after the world no.1 seriously twisted his right ankle.

It was in just the third game of his Davis Cup World Group quarterfinal rubber against Sam Querrey of the United States, but his sense of patriotism for his beloved Serbia forced him to battle on injured to win in four sets.

Djokovic’s win clinched Serbia a semi-final place but it might well come with a cost. After leaving the court and wild scenes of victorious celebration, he was examined by team doctors and emerged in a far from optimistic frame of mind.

“Injuries are part of the sport and you try to avoid them as an athlete as much as you can,” said Djokovic who will begin his clay court campaign for 2013 at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters starting in a week on April 14. “The nature of the injury is still to be determined.

“One hour, one hour and a half after the end of the match, all I can say is it doesn’t look good. It’s swollen, and when it’s swollen it’s definitely not a good first sign. I’m going to do everything I can in my power to recover till that tournament. How realistic that is, I don’t know what to tell you.”

Djokovic’s overriding aim for this year is to complete his set of Grand Slam titles at the French Open but he did his chances no good at all by continuing to play after falling to the ground when trying to convert a break point against Querrey at 1-1, 30-40 in Boise, Idaho’s Taco Bell Arena.

Clearly in great discomfort, he required physical help to get to his courtside chair and was then administered anti-inflammatory tablets and pain-killers as he had his ankle strapped. However he was insistent on continuing and said: “If I wasn’t playing for Serbia, if I didn’t have my teammates’ support, I don’t know if I would’ve played. The first half hour it was very painful.”

Serbia now progresses to a semi-final against Canada and the chances of a second title to follow that, and Djokovic said: “I am very emotional about the win today.

“It meant a lot to me personally. It meant a lot to the whole team. It meant a lot to the nation. We’re very happy to be in the semifinal again.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: American tennis news, Davis Cup, Novak Djokovic, Sam Querrey, Serbian tennis news, Sports