(Tennis news) Having recently won the Adelaide International, Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly one of the favourites heading into the Australian Open next week, but the 21 time Grand Slam winner has now suffered an injury scare which has put his participation in doubt ahead of the tournament. His practice session with Daniil Medvedev at the Rod Laver Arena lasted less than 40 minutes before he was forced off due to a hamstring twinge. The 35 year old is seeded 4th for the Australian Open and initially felt a hamstring twinge during the Adelaide International.

“I just felt it pulling and I didn’t want to risk anything worse. I played a set and apologised to him [Medvedev] and he was understanding. I just want to avoid any bigger scares before the Australian Open.” – Novak Djokovic said to 9News Melbourne

Djokovic was leading 3-2 after breaking Medvedev’s serve and won only one more game from that point before needing treatment. In a complete turnaround from his deportation from Australia last year, Djokovic’s three year visa ban was overturned in November after the country relaxed it’s COVID-19 rules and the Serbian now has the opportunity to attempt a 10th Australian Open title which will begin on January 16th.

The 35 year old has a stellar record in Australia, winning 34 consecutive matches. His last defeat came against South Korea’s Hyeon Chung at the 2018 Australian Open. Rafael Nadal, who won last year’s Australian Open is the top seed for the Grand Slam event in the absence of the injured Carlos Alcaraz, who is ranked 1 in the world.

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