As Novak Djokovic attempts to overcome what he describes as ‘physical battles’ in the latter stages of his career, the harsh reality of playing a limited tennis schedule is in full evidence.
Djokovic has made limited appearances on the regular ATP Tour in 2024 and that is part of the reason why he has struggled to maintain full fitness levels.
At the age of 37, he is trying to maximise his chances of claiming more Grand Slam titles by playing the tournaments he cherishes most, but his lack of time on court is contributing to the physical issues he is facing when his ageing body is put back in the line of fire.
This is a similar issue that has impacted Emma Raducanu’s year, as she opted to play a reduced schedule in her comeback from three surgeries in 2023.
While that was a sensible approach in the first half of the year, her reluctance to play in qualifying for major events led to long periods of inactivity.
This meant that when the 2021 US Open has got herself onto the court, she has suffered from a string of injury concerns.
She pulled out of the Miami Open due to injury back in March and is currently away from the sport after picking up a foot injury in her first tournament of the Asian swing of the WTA Tour and that has halted her play to play more tournaments in the second half of the year.
“I think the rest of the year, as long as I’m healthy, I’m going to try and finish the season and play as many matches as I can,” said Raducanu last month.
“It’s something I’m really light on since the grass through the (Washington) DC period. I’ve not played many points, even in practice.
“So, as gruelling as (the match against Stearns) was, I think I had three hours of match experience which can only aid me going into the next few weeks.
“For me now, I just want to play matches and, in the meantime, do a little bit of work on my game where I can.”
Raducanu retired midway through her quarter-final against Daria Kasatkina in the Korea Open last month and revealed that she had sprained ligaments in her foot.
Raducanu subsequently withdrew from the China Open and Wuhan Open and has now been forced to pull out of the Ningbo Open and the Guangzhou Open the following week.
It has been an untimely blow for the British No 2, who is half Chinese and had hoped to play tournaments in the country for the first time as part of a busy end to the season.
Instead, she will spend at least a month on the sidelines, with her target now to return for the Hong Kong Open beginning on October 28.
Raducanu, who is ranked 57th, is then planning to end her season playing for Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, with Anne Keothavong’s side taking on Germany on November 15.
Raducanu is hoping to return to action at the Hong Kong Open later this month, but her foot was still in a protective boot when she attended a charity event in London earlier this week so it is unclear whether she will play again in 2024.
Djokovic is also battling injuries and he was pushed to the limit physically during his Shanghai Masters semi-final against Taylor Fritz.
While never looked in danger of seeing his unbeaten record against the American slip, Djokovic struggled with some fitness that appeared to be focused on his hip.
The world No 4 – aiming to become the third man to win his 100th ATP Tour title – did not face a break point as he took the opening set.
Fritz fought back to move 6-5 ahead in the second set, with Djokovic taking a medical timeout for treatment on his left hip.
Djokovic, though, battled through the pain to recover from 6-5 down in the tie-break to level after a long rally and then secured his place in the final after an attempted lob from Fritz dropped out.
“I had some issues here and there on the court physically a little bit yesterday and today, but managed to overcome it,” Djokovic said in his court-side interview.
“Taylor is in form, playing really well, particularly on this surface, so I knew this would be a big test for me.”
Tennis is one of the most demanding sports on the body and the only way to get into condition to play five or six matches in a short period of time is to play, play and play again.
Djokovic may feel he cannot do that at this stage of his career, but Raducanu knows she needs to be on court more to realise her potential.
