These small details show the wear and tear of time," says an expert about Djokovic
Stephen Smith, an expert in athlete wellness and injury prevention, gave an interview to Tennis365 in which he discussed Novak Djokovic's physical condition.
According to him, time has caught up with the Serbian player who must face complicated physical challenges due to his age. He states: "This probably speaks to his genetics and, I think, his professionalism, as well as the investment he has made in his body and career.
But when you look at him and compare him to other athletes in the same sport, with similar age profiles, etc., and with that exposure to the same level of play and the same demands, I think he is a unicorn, for sure.
I'm thinking, obviously, about his age, and I think with the number of competitions he participates in, the wear and tear... he had a hamstring issue that forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open semifinal earlier this year, he had a groin injury at Wimbledon and a meniscus problem last year at Roland Garros.
I think all these small details show the wear and tear of time. But if you consider the impact, it would seem that throughout his career, he was in excellent health, and now, he's experiencing four or five injuries in a row.
