Djokovic: It was not easy to play with this kind of sensation I had never felt before
Novak Djokovic, the world No 1 and defending US Open Champion had serious problems with shoulder injury playing in the second round against Juan Ignacio Lóndero
Source: B92
Serbian player had managed to win after all and to secure his third-round match on Friday against either American Denis Kudla or Serbian Dusan Lajovic.
"I had to take time to address the injury that I have. It has caused hindrance to my game for sure tonight, especially with the serve and backhand. It was not easy to play with this kind of sensation, to be honest. I did not experience that too many times in my career", Djokovic stated.
He added that he was "lucky to find my way back in the second set and to win in the straight sets".
"I had obviously, you saw, a medical timeout. At changeovers, I tried to use within the rules as much as I can physiotherapy and medical help. That has definitely helped me stay in the match", Djokovic added.
He said that the way it has started for him, especially midway through the first set, he was not sure if he would be able to finish the match, if it weren't for the timely medical assistance.
""I'm going to assess this injury tomorrow even more with further consultations with experts in sports medicine. I'm hoping that in two days' time I will be able to play pain-free, if that is possible", Djokovic concluded.
Djokovic said this was a "new sensation" that he's never felt before.
"Well, it is new in a sense that I've never had that particular issue in my career," he said. "It's not new in a sense that it has bothered me now for almost couple weeks. It has been there. I've been experiencing some days of higher intensity of pain, some days less. It has been really fluctuating a lot, going up and down. What happened today on the court, actually how I felt, was quite rough and unpredictable. But, as I said on the court, you have to deal with this particular situation the way it is", Djokovic concluded.
The World No. 1 added that in the course of his career, unlike other tennis players, he was forced to play through pain, finding a way to win.
