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Novak Djokovic suffered an injury scare ahead of the Australian Open with a hamstring spasm forcing him to abandon his practice match with Daniil Medvedev.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion, who missed last year’s Australian Open after being deported due to his vaccination status, played just one set against Medvedev before withdrawing.
Djokovic lasted less than 40 minutes at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday, his first appearance in Melbourne since being forced to leave the country last year.
Djokovic won the Adelaide International 1 last week
The Serbian, who is seeded No. 4 for this month’s Melbourne major, initially damaged his hamstring during his run to the Adelaide International 1 title last week.
Talk to 9 Melbourne Gazette after withdrawing from the match with Medvedev, Djokovic said, “I just felt the pull and I didn’t want to risk making it worse.
“I played a set and apologized to him [Medvedev] and he knew it. I just want to avoid a bigger scare before the Australian Open.”
Djokovic has won the Australian Open nine times
Djokovic broke Medvedev in the opening game but then received treatment when leading 3-2 and won just one more game from that point.
Djokovic’s three-year visa ban was lifted in November, giving him the chance to push for a 10th Australian Open title when the main tournament starts on January 16.
The 35-year-old has won 34 matches in a row in Australia, with her previous loss coming against South Korea’s Hyeon Chung at the 2018 Australian Open.
Defending champion Rafa Nadal is the top seed at the 2023 Australian Open without injured world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
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