Novak Djokovic hasn't been 100% fit recently and he had another problem ahead of his fourth-round match at the 2023 Italian Open.
The Serb beat Cameron Norrie in two sets, but the start of the match was quite weird. It started a bit later than scheduled and Djokovic even saw someone from the medical personnel before the match started.
Speaking after the match, the 22-time Grand Slam champion admitted that the conditions were not ideal, especially his preparation and events leading up to the meeting with the highest-ranked Brit on the ATP Tour.
"So far so good. It was an early start today. Strange conditions. We've warmed up just like 20 minutes, I actually finished my warm-up 10 minutes before I went on the court. So I was rushing everything a little bit."
Djokovic was also asked if he's battling any injury or why was it necessary to visit the treatment room, and with a smile on his face, the Serb responded:
"Every day it's something, but thankfully I was able to play and finish the match, so hopefully tomorrow I will be feeling better."
Naturally, the Serb was asked about the "something" also during the post-match press conference. However, he didn't disclose any further details, stating that he doesn't want to talk about it.
"Well, yes, I had something, but don't want to talk about that too much. We had a late warmup today. The courts, practice courts, there were only two practice courts available to practice for so many players. It was not an ideal preparation for the match."
Once again, Djokovic said that his warm-up finished only around 10 minutes before the match started, and said that also the cold weather was a factor. He even requested an extra time from the supervisor.
"I finished my warmup 10 minutes before the match. It was cold. Try to do everything in time. That's it. I got the permission from supervisor to have an extra seven, eight minutes, and that's all it was."
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