Djokovic is playing hurt and clearly the ankle is an issue

He is having problems moving wide on his forehand side where he puts stress on that right ankle. He looked lethal at Davis Cup before is injury and to me he doesn't look like a fit and flexible Djokovic that we have come to expect. There are those who claim he is making a big deal out of nothing but it clearly is not the case as someone who has watched him play I don't think he will be the same and should have skipped this tournament. Having seen the ankle injury it was quite clear that it was not a minor thing and that it would just cease to be an issue in the coming tournament in MC. Djoko should not have played DC and now he is compounding his error by playing in MC. You don't run a thoroughbred in some prestigious event before the Kentucky derby with a sore ankle, you let it rest. It does get pretty tiresome every time Djoko gets an injury and we hear calls of drama queen etc. Apparently, his injuries don't count because at one time he suffered serious respiratory issues that caused him to withdraw from too many matches. It gets very tiresome, we still have people who claim he really wasn't injured in that Del Po match and in the indoor season of 2011. Silly Davis Cup play could cost him RG and the momentum as Hawkeye so expertly dubbed it. And now he compounds his scheduling error by playing in monte carlo. He should of rested and entered Barcelona if he felt better.

Perhaps, though he has been dropping sets quite frequently this season.

Injury is part of the game really. Federer is always having his back, and of course had 2008 blown apart with GF while Nadal has had obvious problems. Murray had the wrist a few years back.

Yes no one has a quarrel with the idea that injury is part of the game, but my real issue is with his two poor decision choices right before RG, 1. getting hurt in Davis Cup which he shouldn't have been playing and 2. playing hurt in Monte Carlo, which he shouldn't be playing now that he has a turned ankle.

socal1976 wrote:Yes no one has a quarrel with the idea that injury is part of the game, but my real issue is with his two poor decision choices right before RG, 1. getting hurt in Davis Cup which he shouldn't have been playing and 2. playing hurt in Monte Carlo, which he shouldn't be playing now that he has a turned ankle.

Yep, he should rest it now to prevent further injury. Had a similar issue with Murray playing injured for the clay swing last year.

Sure, but it might not be too serious, at least not fundamentally. Time will tell. Only he can really know.

Well, I disagree when I watched him play post the Querrey match he isn't moving to the forehand corner like he usually does, not surprising hitting a forehand on the dead stretch requires you to pivot on the outside leg the right ankle all the weight springing off that leg, he clearly is not moving to his forehand corner like we all know he can. Against querrey on fast conditions he belted his way out of it and Querrey also had his own shoulder issue but ankles are always a concern especially in dodgey footing that you experience on clay courts and the longer matches.

Tough one to call is this. I watched the whole match and no doubt Novak started off tentatively because of the ankle. He was even trying to keep his weight off it during serving. However, once he learnt he could trust the ankle a little more he grew in confidence, worked his way into the match and battled through a tough match to win. Now how much pain/discomfort he is in nobody knows but him. If it is hurting badly he'd be wise to pull out as he could make it worse but if it is managable and only a minor problem then he will see the merits of playing on such as getting clay court match time and defending his points.

If it's something he is making or can make worse, it's foolish.

If however, it is basically healed and today was just rustiness and tentativeness, then playing may be a good thing.

I've done my ankles on many occasions. Sometimes it takes weeks to heal, sometimes it's really painful for a few days but then seems to get better quickly.

I'd be interested to see what he says in his post match press conference, they are bound to ask him (about his ankle, not mine!).

I think the only certainty with injuries (apart from something self-evidently catastrophic) is that we, as interested observers, rarely get the complete picture - and that goes for any professional in whatever sport.

Even ahead of last year's RG there was talk - whether well-founded or otherwise - of injuries affecting Rafa's prospects, and yet he still navigated his way through seven rounds to claim yet another title. Likewise Federer and the dodgy back at Wimbledon.

The immutable law has always seemed to be that injuries involving one's favourite player have a strange tendency to be a lot more serious and worrying than those affecting other players.

They're not juniors any more these guys. Best leave them to make their own decisions methinks.

To be honest, if it was an injury that he could make much worse I doubt he'd be playing. I've damaged my ankles a few times and with a ligament tear, no matter how small, I was always advised to let it heal before playing football again.

With a strain though, my physio used to tell me that as soon as it was about 80% I could play again even though some of the movements may hurt a bit.

I can only assume Novak is in a similar position. Very low risk of making it worse.

They get the sort of detailed and round-the-clock expert opinion/advice/assessment/treatment that is rarely available to the likes of us.

What an individual player then chooses to do with all those valuable resources is ultimately down to him/her.

Lags - are you suggesting Laura from my local medical centre is not up to the standard of Novak's medical team?

Frankly I'm offended. Plus she's really pretty and still sends me christmas cards.

She sounds lovely Danny.

Better than some of the physios I've used ......

I personally don't like what he did with his scheduling prior to the start of the clay court season. I think this whole Davis Cup thing followed by an ankle injury and he doesn't look good or the same as he did earlier in the year at MC either. On the whole it would have been better if he didn't play the last 2 weeks and came in fresh and healthy. He needs to stop this davis cup fixation after this year, I hope they win it again and then maybe novak will have less of an incentive to keep playing as intensely. Expert opinion can vary and who knows how he himself feels except that by watching him since the injury his movement especially to the forehand corner looks very labored.

Fair comment socal

But let's see how things pan out. You might just be worrying unduly.

socal1976. There is no point stressing. Djokovic had to make a decision and neither option would have been perfect. The good thing is if he does lose it will be put down to his ankle. But the bad thing as far as Djokovic is concerned is that if Rafa win's whatever the circumstances he will get more tricky to beat.

Surprised he's entered, but also surprised that he seems to get better as matches develop

Could be that he's a bit stiff to start with

Think he is taking a big risk, the back troubles that Fed and Murray have had in recent times are miniscule in risk compared to going over on an ankle that's already stressed

Hawkeye that is the point the decision making on his schedule was not right Novak should have made it a point to protect his legs between Miami and the clay court season instead he goes down to a newly laid down court in Boise and tweeks his ankle and it was a nasty little fall he had it didn't look pleasant either.

socal1976 wrote:Yes no one has a quarrel with the idea that injury is part of the game, but my real issue is with his two poor decision choices right before RG, 1. getting hurt in Davis Cup which he shouldn't have been playing and 2. playing hurt in Monte Carlo, which he shouldn't be playing now that he has a turned ankle.

So you mean to say DJoko's team is not smart enough? or Djoko adament to prove a point by playing MC?, I guess neither is the reason Djoko's injury is not that serious like portrayed in this article and his team and he is smart enough to understand and hence he is playing the tournament.

lags72 wrote:The immutable law has always seemed to be that injuries involving one's favourite player have a strange tendency to be a lot more serious and worrying than those affecting other players.

I am still amazed that Federer managed to win Wimbledon last year with a busted back

summerblues wrote:

lags72 wrote:The immutable law has always seemed to be that injuries involving one's favourite player have a strange tendency to be a lot more serious and worrying than those affecting other players.

I am still amazed that Federer managed to win Wimbledon last year with a busted back

I am still amazed how Del Potro physically and mentally exhausted and physcially and mentally not at his best able to beat then the former World No.1 comfortably.

lags72 wrote:Fair comment socal

But let's see how things pan out. You might just be worrying unduly.

Well the return of the King of Clay not just scared Murray but some Nole fans too.

True true.

@Socal... Djokovic will be all right. He should take a break from Madrid perhaps and focus on Rome and RG.