MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic has said he plans to take part in two exhibition tournaments next week before deciding on his participation at the Australian Open.
The 30-year-old former world number one has been out for the last six months with an elbow injury, and the problem forced him to withdraw from recent events in Abu Dhabi and Qatar.
He is due to play at the Kooyong Classic and the Tie Break Tens evening exhibition at Melbourne Park in the week leading up to the Australian Open. The 12-time Grand Slam winner, whose last Grand Slam title was at the 2016 French Open, has won the Australian Open six times.
Djokovic has not played since retiring against Czech Tomas Berdych in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July.
He pulled out of last week’s Mubadala WTC exhibition in Abu Dhabi only hours before his match with Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut when the pain in his right elbow flared up and also withdrew from the Qatar Open in Doha.
The Australian Open begins in Melbourne on 15 January.
Novak Djokovic using warm-up tournaments to test Australian Open fitness
Novak Djokovic using warm-up tournaments to test Australian Open fitness
