Djokovic Skips Practice Ahead Of Key Clash Against Hurkacz At ATP Finals

| by Nurein Ahmed

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic canceled a scheduled practice session on Wednesday ahead of the crucial final round-robin match at the ATP Finals.

The six-time champion was beaten by Italy's Jannik Sinner in his second match at the tournament, which ended his 19-match winning streak. The defeat to the Italian has blown the green group wide open with three of four players in the group all in contention to qualify for the semifinal.

Djokovic still controls his fate and will play Hubert Hurkacz in the final match on Thursday. The Pole replaces Stefanos Tsitsipas, who withdrew from the tournament following his retirement on Tuesday due to a back injury.

Hurkacz can't qualify for the semis but can dent Djokovic's chances severely if he picks up a win. Djokovic can still qualify even with a defeat but will need to rely on a Sinner win in the other match between the Italian and Holger Rune.

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And the word is that Djokovic skipped practice in favor of rest. Serbian journalist Sasa Ozmo has since tweeted a statement from the tournament about the revised practice schedule.

He wrote, "Djokovic spent more than 6 hours on the court, so this is a sensible decision, although he may still end up hitting a few balls today (went to bed late last night)."

Djokovic has played two long matches so far at the tournament, clocking at least three hours in matches against Rune and Sinner. Although Djokovic has not displayed any physical signs of discomfort like in Paris-Bercy, it remains to be seen whether this decision will yield dividends.

The 36-year-old is wary of wear and tear at this stage of the season, considering we have already seen one withdrawal at the tournament. Djokovic is mindful of pushing his body beyond its limits and might deem the six-hour court time as more than sufficient to go into the last group match against Hurkacz.

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