It was an epic tussle between the two top seeds, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in Men’s singles final at Wimbledon 2023. After winning the first set easily, Djokovic found himself at the receiving end for most of the remaining match. The gallant show put up by the young Spaniard at the biggest stage of his budding career was something nobody expected, especially the 4-time defending Wimbledon champion.
Novak Djokovic apparently underestimated his opponent’s credentials on grass who was only playing his fourth tournament on this surface. However, the experienced Djokovic soon found a way to fight back and level the match at 2 sets apiece. Alcaraz was not the one to give any leeway and immediately opened up the lead in the deciding 5th set by breaking Djokovic’s serve.
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Novak Djokovic has just smashed his racket against the net post after losing a point , may have even injured his own wrist doing so 😲👀 pic.twitter.com/4NziZDMhfO
— Lord Snooty of Bitcoin ⚡BTC . Not On Tw!tter Much (@TerryJones0001) July 16, 2023
As reported by Washington, in this sudden momentum shift, a disgruntled Djokovic, threw his racket in a jiffy at the net post jerking his right wrist. In the aftermath of the throw, the tennis legend was seen clenching his wrist in pain for the rest of the match.
Novak Djokovic’s history of major injuries
Before the start of the Wimbledon final, Djokovic was seen practicing with tape on his right thigh indicating some discomfort. The same leg was heavily strapped in the early rounds of the Australian Open this year. He had a 3 cm tear in his hamstring and was in noticeable pain but somehow managed to push through it. While enduring his pain, he won his 22nd Grand Slam at the Australian Open.
The most significant injury of his career came in 2017 when he suffered unbearable pain in his right elbow. It was caused by the continuous wear and tear of a long career and playing with high-tension strings.
The injury was aggravated at the 2017 Wimbledon Championship, where he eventually lost. Apart from this, the Serbian tennis star also had to skip the remainder of the season including the US Open.
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next week’s Madrid Open in the wake of recent concerns over an elbow injury 🇷🇸
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 22, 2023
However, in comparison to two of his biggest contemporaries, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the Serbian tennis star has suffered fewer major injuries in his career span.
This is evident from the fact that since making his Grand Slam appearance in 2005, he has missed only two Majors to date: the 2017 US Open owing to an elbow injury, and the 2022 Australian Open because of being unvaccinated.
However, one can say that Novak Djokovic has been blessed with supreme physicality and more often than not he has been winning his battles to overcome injury barriers whenever they have manifested.