Novak Djokovic suspects long break from tour as reason for Carlos Alcaraz's injury, wishes him speedy recovery

Novak Djokovic expressed his disappointment and empathized with Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard withdrew from the 2023 Australian Open due to an injury.

The World No. 1 player took to social media to reveal that he had injured the semimembranosus muscle in his right leg during a practice session ahead of the season's first Major. Rafael Nadal will replace Alcaraz as the top seed in Melbourne, while Djokovic has moved to the fourth spot. The tournament begins on January 16.

In a press conference after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the Adelaide International 1 semifinal on Saturday, Djokovic was asked to comment on the 19-year-old's withdrawal. The Serb remarked that it was unfortunate for Alcaraz to miss the Melbourne Major and hoped for him to recover and return quickly.

"It's not good for the tournament and tennis. He's No. 1 in the world. Such a big name, big star in our sport already," he said. "I'm sure that many of the fans are disappointed. I hope for his speedy recovery, whatever it is. I know he had an injury at the end of last season that was different from this one. It's unfortunate for him. I hope he can recover and be back on the tour quickly."

The World No. 5 then talked about what could be the reason for Alcaraz's injury. He suggested that long breaks from competing at the highest level can cause the body to slow down, resulting in players putting in extra effort to make up for the time lost.

"It happens that sometimes, even if you have a longer period of time without an official tournament, your body is not used to that kind of conditions and circumstances because as a tennis player, you're constantly on the road, playing competitions. When you are out of that rhythm, body can react. You can have some injuries and difficulties when you come back to the tour and start pushing more and giving more intensity to the points," he added.

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Novak Djokovic moves past Rafael Nadal on the list for most ATP finals

Rafael Nadal (L) and Novak Djokovic

With a win in the semifinals of the Adelaide International 1 on Saturday, Novak Djokovic reached his career's 131st ATP final. He was earlier tied at 130 finals with 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. The only players ahead of the Serb right now are Ivan Lendl at 146, Roger Federer at 157, and Jimmy Connors with 164 final appearances.

If the fifth-ranked player wins the title clash against America's Sebastian Korda tomorrow, he will have a total of 92 singles titles, the same as Nadal.