Wimbledon officials took great pains to review its seeding procedures when it listed Novak Djokovic at No. 1, ahead of Rafael Nadal. But those officials may have forgotten to ask about Djokovic's wrist before making the switch.
Wrist injury jeopardizes Novak Djokovic's chance of a Wimbledon title
Tennis.com reported that Djokovic pulled out of an exhibition match on Friday at Stoke Park because of his tender right wrist, which organizers explained as a "precautionary measure in preparation for Wimbledon next week."
Djokovic originally hurt the wrist in April at the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters. His right wrist was heavily bandaged, and he clearly was not 100 percent in a loss in the semifinals there to Roger Federer. Djokovic eventually pulled out of the Madrid Open so that his wrist would be rested for the French Open.
Djokovic actually won the Italian Open before reaching the final at Roland Garros, losing in four sets to Nadal.
According to tennis.com, Djokovic was able to get in a practice session Saturday with Milos Raonic. But the scratch a day earlier still could represent trouble for the world's No. 2 player.
He has been dealing with the wrist injury for two months. If his pullout from the exhibition was precautionary, why did he pull out so late? Tennis.com speculated that Djokovic wanted to get some extra training in on grass.
By cancelling the exhibition, Djokovic created questions not only about his health but also about the state of his grass game and his fitness level entering Wimbledon, tennis.com reported.
The wrist didn't seem to bother Djokovic during his run through Roland Garros. Only Nadal bothered him in the final, denying him the No. 1 world ranking heading into Wimbledon.
Do you think Novak Djokovic pulling out of an exhibition match just a few days before the start of Wimbledon makes him more vulnerable the next two weeks? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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