Not surprised by Novak Djokovic’s loss right after surgery, says Roger Federer

Not surprised by Novak Djokovic’s loss right after surgery, says Roger Federer

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Roger Federer has exclaimed that he was not surprised by Novak Djokovic’s second round exit at Indian Wells right after getting a surgery on his right elbow. Federer also warned the players that despite this loss Djokovic will only get better and will be a threat again in the future.

Novak Djokovic had a forgettable past year as he took six months off right after Wimbledon to give rest to his elbow and recover from an injury. But when he played at the 2018 Australian Open, his elbow was still not at a 100% which resulted in him losing to Hyeon Chung in the fourth round. The Serb decided to go under the knife right after the Slam. However, on his return to the big stage, he lost to Japan’s Taro Daniel in the second round at Indian Wells. Roger Federer came to the former world number one’s rescue as he said that he was not surprised by the Serb’s loss atIndian Wells as he had just returned from an injury.

"To me, it's not that surprising," Federer said. "When you go away from the game for over a two-month period, it starts feeling a little bit that way,” said Federer reported Sky Sports.

Novak Djokovic lost to Daniel in three sets of 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-1. The former world number was completely out of rhythm as he made 62 unforced in the loss to the world no. 109.

Last year, the Swiss had made a comeback to the Australian Open after a knee surgery and hit the ground running from the first match as he ended winning his fifth Australian Open title last year. The Swiss then decided to skip the French Open in order to give rest to his knee so that he could play well in the Wimbledon and ended up winning his 8th title that year. Roger had been in Djokovic’s situation and through his experience has warned the other players to watch out for the Serb in the coming months.

"When you do come back from injury or when you haven't played in a long time, it just takes extra effort.It is still early stages for Novak coming back and the first one after surgery. He's only going to get better from here," concluded the world number one.

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