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The physical conditions were not the best and the wrist injury had an impact. To this must be added the excellent performance of Alex De Minaur. So it happened that United Cup, against the Australian, we saw one of the worst versions of Novak Djokovic in recent years.
The accomplice of the Serbian's subpar performance is his wrist, which has been bothering him for a few days, and in particular in the match against the Australian it conditioned him in such a way that, given the data in hand, he played one of the worst matches, if not the worst of his career.
Novak in fact won only 1 of 34 (2.9%) return points on the first serve and this happened in the last game of the match. This is the lowest data in 1303 career matches.
A problem that the 24-time Slam champion will have to immediately correct in view of the Australian Open, which will be played from mid-January. This is a figure that goes against the trend, compared to the records and statistics that see Djokovic excelling almost everywhere.
Djokovic talks about the wrist problem
The ATP No.1 talked about this problem in the press conference, downplaying the problem and reassuring his fans but, at the same time, leaving some doubts unanswered.
"He affected my serve and my forehand today, but I don't want to waste too much time talking about it or not giving De Minaur due credit for winning. I knew I wouldn't be 100% physically, emotionally and mentally at the start of the season.
It's all part of the preparation ahead of the Australian Open. I'm trying to recover from this wrist problem and will try to follow my routine. I've been in this type of situation so many times and I know what I need to do with my team to prepare.
Of course you never know what could happen. In 2021 and 2023 I got injured just before the Australian Open and managed to win the tournament. I hope I don't have any injuries this time," explained Nole.