Injury concerns resurface for Novak Djokovic ahead of US Open after practice footage surfaces

Djokovic has not played since his straight-set loss to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semi-finals last month.

During that defeat, Djokovic grimaced in pain frequently while his movement was noticeably compromised and deteriorated as the match progressed.

The 38-year-old appeared to sustain an injury in a nasty fall on match point of his quarter-final win over Flavio Cobolli on Centre Court.

The Serbian pulled out of the Canadian Open in Toronto due to an injury, according to the tournament. Djokovic then missed the Cincinnati Masters citing a non-medical reason.

Djokovic has been training for the US Open in Montenegro, and a minute-long video taken during one of his sessions was shared on Twitter/X on Saturday.

The video starts with Djokovic receiving treatment on his right leg from his physio Claudio Zamaglia while leaning against the fence of the court.

The world No 7 appears to be in some discomfort as he walks to the baseline before hitting some serves without driving through with his legs.

While it is hard to draw conclusions from the footage, it is nonetheless concerning given the injury issues Djokovic has dealt with in recent seasons.

Djokovic underwent surgery on his right knee last year after tearing his medial meniscus during the 2024 French Open.

The Serbian made a remarkably swift recovery to play at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, where he was a runner-up despite not looking fully fit. He has continued to wear a brace on his right knee at times, including during practice sessions at Wimbledon this year.

At the 2025 Australian Open, Djokovic suffered a hamstring injury in his quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz that forced him to retire after the first set of his semi-final with Alexander Zverev.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not spoken since Wimbledon, but he revealed it was a leg issue he was dealing with after losing to Sinner at the All England Club.

"I never really thought about not stepping onto the court at all. I didn't have that bad of a feeling, in the sense that I couldn't stand on my leg," Djokovic said in his Serbian press conference at Wimbledon.

"I couldn't practise yesterday, but during warm-up it felt pretty good, all things considered. There was uncertainty about how my leg would respond. I played more from a static position, didn't move around too much in the warm-up.

"But already by the middle of the first set, there were a few more aggressive movements - especially toward my forehand side - where I had to push off. That's when I felt a worsening of the condition. Actually, the first six or seven games were okay, but after that, it wasn't."

Djokovic added: "I don't believe this will keep me off the court for too long.

"Unfortunately, I've had similar injuries recently and I managed to come back relatively quickly. I think I can get myself to an optimal level for the US Open, to be able to play at the highest level."

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