Novak Djokovic Is Surviving A Tough Schedule

Written by: Staff on 17th August 2012

Novak Djokovic Is Surviving A Tough Schedule

epa03332126 Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns to Lleyton Hewitt of Australia during their London 2012 Olympic Games Tennis competition in Wimbledon, Greater London, Britain, 01 August 2012. EPA/ANDY RAIN |

Unlike the rest of the top 5, at least through Thursday, Novak Djokovic has managed to play the Olympics, Toronto and Cincinnati without withdrawing from one of the events before they began, or getting hurt and then pulling out. Rafael Nadal has been out since Wimbledon and won’t return until sometime after the US Open, Roger Federer skipped Toronto, Andy Murray pulled out before his second match In Toronto and David Ferrer skipped the Canadian event.

But not Djokovic, who lost the bronze medal match in London, won Toronto and won his first round match in Cincinnati. He did consider skipping one of the tournaments, but his team has done a good job of keeping him fit.

“I did consider the option, but right now I feel good, so after Toronto I felt also physically well,” Djokovic said. “And even though [in Toronto] I had a lot of interruptions with rain and a lot of days where I, struggled physically, I am her now and feeling good.”

The Toronto-Cincy swing is the third time this year that the tour has held Masters Series in back-to-back weeks. That also occurs in the spring with Indian Wells and Key Biscayne, as well as Madrid and Rome. However, those two double features did not follow the strenuous Olympics.

“The schedule is as it is, and we’re trying all to adjust to it,” Djokovic said. “Obviously there are many things that we would like to change, that we would like to see differently. But unfortunately it’s not always about players’ wishes. It’s about tournaments, sponsors, TV rights. All these different things matter when you’re trying to organize the schedule, which is very long. So this year we’re going to have it two weeks shorter, which is a good thing, but the intensity is even bigger because if it’s two weeks shorter but commitment events stay the same.

Sometimes it’s really hard to try to stay fit for every single tournament and try to perform your best, you know. In last three, four weeks, I have changed three different, cities, places, surfaces, and conditions. Still trying to figure out where I am.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Cincinnati, Novak Djokovic, Olympics 2012, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serbian tennis news, Sports, Toronto tennis news