Djokovic believes long break from tour action potential cause of recent Alcaraz injury: "When you are out of that rhythm, body can react"

Novak Djokovic thought about the injury of Carlos Alcaraz and he believes that not playing in a while probably played a part in him getting injuries again.

It's very hard for a tennis player to replicate match conditions unless real matches are being played. Due to that, players often can get injured once the season picks up suddenly as it happens after the New Year. Pacing yourself is key but sometimes things just don't work out in your favour. That is what Djokovic believed happened to Alcaraz with his injury:

"It happens that sometimes, even if you have a longer period of time without an official tournament, your body is not used to that kind of conditions and circumstances because as a tennis player, you're constantly on the road, playing competitions. When you are out of that rhythm, body can react. You can have some injuries and difficulties when you come back to the tour and start pushing more and giving more intensity to the points."

He called Alcaraz missing the event a great shame:

"It's not good for the tournament and tennis. He's No. 1 in the world. Such a big name, big star in our sport already. I'm sure that many of the fans are disappointed. I hope for his speedy recovery, whatever it is. I know he had an injury at the end of last season that was different from this one. It's unfortunate for him. I hope he can recover and be back on the tour quickly."