Novak Djokovic said he was hampered by a wrist problem during the Cup of the tank in London and that his long absence from the Tour recently could be to blame.
The three-day tournament at London’s O2 Arena was Djokovic’s first event since the Serb won his 21st Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon beginning of July.
The 35-year-old, who missed the North American hard-court swing and the US Open because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, put in a dazzling performance on his return to the Tour on Saturday in winning both singles and doubles matches.
However, he lost to Canada Felix Auger-Aliassime on the last day of competition on Sunday.
“I’ve been fighting with my right wrist for four or five days, to be honest. I’ve kept it under control,” Djokovic told reporters.
“The two games yesterday probably had an effect. Today wasn’t easy. I couldn’t serve as fast or as accurately as I would like. It affected the whole game.”
Djokovic said qualifying for November’s ATP Finals in Turin remains his goal and he will play a tournament in Tel Aviv this week, followed by an event in Kazakhstan next week and then the Paris Masters at the end of October.
His victory at Wimbledon guarantees him a place in the Tour final if he remains ranked in the world’s top 20.
Djokovic, who is currently ranked seventh, said the wrist issue could be due to a combination of factors.
“Maybe not playing games for almost three months, and then the conditions here are such that the balls are really big and slow,” he said.
“You always have to generate a lot of action and speed on the wrist, which could be why I felt pain.”
The three-day tournament at London’s O2 Arena was Djokovic’s first event since the Serb won his 21st Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon beginning of July.
The 35-year-old, who missed the North American hard-court swing and the US Open because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19, put in a dazzling performance on his return to the Tour on Saturday in winning both singles and doubles matches.
However, he lost to Canada Felix Auger-Aliassime on the last day of competition on Sunday.
“I’ve been fighting with my right wrist for four or five days, to be honest. I’ve kept it under control,” Djokovic told reporters.
“The two games yesterday probably had an effect. Today wasn’t easy. I couldn’t serve as fast or as accurately as I would like. It affected the whole game.”
Djokovic said qualifying for November’s ATP Finals in Turin remains his goal and he will play a tournament in Tel Aviv this week, followed by an event in Kazakhstan next week and then the Paris Masters at the end of October.
His victory at Wimbledon guarantees him a place in the Tour final if he remains ranked in the world’s top 20.
Djokovic, who is currently ranked seventh, said the wrist issue could be due to a combination of factors.
“Maybe not playing games for almost three months, and then the conditions here are such that the balls are really big and slow,” he said.
“You always have to generate a lot of action and speed on the wrist, which could be why I felt pain.”