Djokovic sick and tired, mystery about malaise: “But it’s not Covid”

Bent on his knees, exhausted, exhausted. It is not the Novak Djokovic that we have come to know over the past 10 years. He who has made his trademark of resistance, elasticity and reactivity, is now very far from his standards. Nole, thanks to the clear opposition to the anti Covid vaccine, has played little, very little since the beginning of the year. First the exclusion from the Australian Open, then that from the two Masters 1000 on American hard courts of Indian Wells and Miami, meant that the technical and physical condition of the man who touched the Grand Slam in 2021 is still far behind of maturation. One figure above all the others confirms it: it had never happened, from 2018 to today, that Djokovic arrived at this point of the season without having lifted a trophy. It must be said that he has just played three tournaments: Dubai, where he stopped in the quarterfinals, a round in Monte Carlo and then Belgrade, where he reached the final beaten by Rublev.

Mysterious ailment

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After the defeat in the home tournament, Nole expressed his concern about a situation he was not used to dealing with. He feels vulnerable, the phenomenon, without the fuel necessary to manage the important moments of the match: “Despite the joy of playing at my house, in front of my people, I was unable to get to the end – he explained -. Unfortunately in the third set I completely lacked the energy, I didn’t have the strength to fight, and in those conditions it was impossible to oppose a player among the strongest in the world. ” Behind this drop in energy, in addition to a physical preparation not yet at full capacity, there would be an unspecified “disease” that would have hit him a few weeks ago.

“It’s not Covid”

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This is not Covid, which Nole already had last December: “I did not like the feelings I felt at the end of the game. It was something similar to what happened to me in Monte Carlo. I think it is linked to the malaise that I had recently. Luckily this lack of energy came at the end of the tournament and not at the beginning. After all, I played four games all in the third set. ” Probably a flu, perhaps an intestinal virus, but there are also those who hypothesize a long Covid that would have particularly weakened the body of the Serbian player.

“I don’t want to go into details”

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“No, Covid has nothing to do with it – said the number 1 in the world – it’s another thing and I don’t want to go into details, but it has affected my body and my metabolism. I had to undergo medical treatment,” but they are not yet in place and the sensations are worrying “. Sensations that Nole had never experienced, or at least that she hadn’t faced for years: “This disease has been tough both physically and mentally, also because I’ve always been used to being well, I’ve never had any major problems. I take the positive side, to have reached a final “.

Operation Paris

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Djokovic’s goal is much more than a 250cc final, he wants to confirm himself as Roland Garros champion, immediately reaching the host Rafa Nadal at 21 Slams. A prospect that the Serbian cannibal could have the effect of a thousand tonic. But a lot will depend on the next few weeks, on how his body reacts to the fatigue of the first tournament played from start to finish, and on how he manages the recovery from the mysterious illness. Madrid, at the moment, is still on his schedule, and then Rome awaits him, with whom he has always had a special relationship and where he lost the final against Rafa last year. Two weeks with matches in five sets in Paris will be a very demanding test. In addition to the Grand Slams, the world throne is also on the table. A primacy in the standings that will depend on the results of the next two Masters 1000. In fact, if Nole wants to avoid overtaking, she will have to conquer the title either in Madrid or in Rome, alternatively a third round and a final or, ultimately, the semifinal will suffice. both in Spain and at the Foro Italico. But above all, another Nole will be needed.