Novak Djokovic has announced he will miss the rest of the 2017 season to recover from an elbow injury.
The injury forced Djokovic to withdraw from his Wimbledon quarter-final with Tomas Berdych earlier this month and after the match the Serbian said it had been causing him pain for over a year and a half.
Djokovic’s decision to sit out the rest of this season means he will miss the US Open, which starts on August 28th, ending his run of 51 consecutive grand slam appearances.
The 30-year-old, however, confirmed Andre Agassi would remain part of his coaching team when he returns next year. Agassi started working with Djokovic at the French Open in May.
“After obviously a year and a half of carrying the injury of the elbow that has culminated in the last couple of months, I have made the decision to not play any tournaments for the rest of the 2017 season,” Djokovic said.
“Unfortunately this is the decision that had to be made at this moment. Wimbledon was the toughest tournament for me in terms of feeling the pain that has escalated.
“I have consulted many of the doctors and specialists and various people from both ends of the medicine (profession) in the last 12 to 15 months, and especially the last couple of months when I felt the injury was getting worse.
“They all agree I need rest, I need time. This is one of those injuries where nothing can really help instantly. You have to allow natural rehabilitation to take its course.”
