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"I felt like I let myself down": Novak Djokovic says he cried after having first surgery after avoiding it for years
ATPTuesday, 19 March 2024 at 21:00
Novak Djokovic recently spoke about the surgery he underwent in 2018, despite always being someone dedicated to injury prevention. The Serbian recalled how difficult it was to make the decision to undergo surgery after an inconsistent season in 2017.
The 2017 season is the only one that Djokovic has finished outside the top 10 between 2007 and the present (ending the year as world No. 12). He was unable to play in the US Open and subsequent tournaments of the year, and it seemed that Nole would begin to drop from the top echelons of the Tour.
The Serbian acknowledged that the injury to his elbow was the result of wear and tear from many seasons and commented that he had no other option at that time: "I believe very strongly in prevention, not only in sports, but in anything really in life. So, I've had only one major surgery, I had a major injury to my elbow. Wear and tear, obviously, over the years, a lot of long matches, long seasons," the world No. 1 said.
"And I was always really against tables and painkillers, and I never really wanted to get into that, but I had to, there was no other way, I started the season. I was avoiding surgery at all costs, but I realized I had to have surgery," 24-times Grand Slam champion added.
"I cried after surgery not because I was in pain, but because I felt like I let myself down. Because my philosophy is to avoid surgeries, do everything I can to avoid going under the knife. I felt like my mom was there, and she was trying to convince me it was fine."
After the surgery, the 2018 season ended on a high note, with Djokovic winning the Wimbledon and US Open titles, in addition to the Cincinnati Open and Shanghai Open, finishing the year as world No. 1. Since the surgery, Djokovic has won 12 Grand Slam and 10 Masters 1000 titles.
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