Is Djokovic's knee becoming seriously injured?

[5555]

This is photo from yesterday's press conference (Novak said nothing serious, the ice is because of precaution). I'm very suspicious of it...

 

[rommil]

He's employing the RPE (Rafa Preemptive Excuse) tactic.

 

[Jeepers]

Wow, its very swollen

 

[jmverdugo]

I have been dealing with knee pain in both my knees for the last 3-4 years and in my experience the knees are the joints where you can best control the pain, most of the time just a brace would help you a lot. So I wouldn't worry too much, specially since the clay season is about to start, this will give him a lot of time to recover. Of course I am not a professional tennis player or a doctor but this has been my experience.

 

[babbette]

Oopsie. With sucess comes injury...except for fed.

 

[Fiji]

Bad news....

 

[Bothsidesx2hands]

Pitchers do this to their shoulders after games. Precautionary. I would be more concerned about his shoulder as that's what caused him to change his service the first time anyways.

 

[rommil]

This is photo from yesterday's press conference (Novak said nothing serious, the ice is because of precaution). I'm very suspicious of it...

It's a good thing he didn't injure his groin, put this contraption on and showed up for the presser.

 

[Arailic]

This is a real concern! No wonder he's played a lot of tennis of late (has not stopped since December); I hope this will not interfere with the match!!!!!! Even though he said during his press conference that is for prevention purposes, I have a feeling it is more to the story!!!???? No matter what Nole's haters think, he will not use the knee/inflamation issue as an excuse if he looses today! He is gracious in defeat and respects his opponents, especially Federer!!!!

 

[YodaKnowsBest]

maybe this explains why Gasquet didn't recieve a bagel?

 

[OLYMPICLEGEND]

LOL why not enter the press conference in a wheelchair. lol pathetic :evil:

 

[5555]

Quote:


"Is Djokovic toeing the Nadal line?
Djokovic's style of play may not be as physical as Nadal's but it may not be too far from it either considering:
-He is not as strong as Nadal.
-Traditionally plays more tournaments than the top four.
-Those contortions, deep lunges and breathing problems cannot co-exist for too long before breaking down.
He already had his knee and shoulder heavily taped at the AO final. So far the problems Djokovic has had with his body have been primarily genetic related or ones that are likely to vanish with a stronger frame / endurance training. Tennis specific injuries have not cropped up yet but as he sails past his prime (25 yrs) and fails to adapt his game more on the lines of Federer and Murray, his body will begin to break down with regularity reserved for Nadal so far.
Murray is as good a retriver and so is Federer but they have evolved a strategy to minimize the impact as efficiently as is possible under the conditions. Their track record - comparatively - backs this claim.
Djokovic needs to learn from Nadal - quickly - to milk his talent to the max and maybe one day post 5 plus Slam numbers."

Link http://************.typepad.com/blog/2011/02/is-djokovic-toeing-the-nadal-line.html

 

[MichaelNadal]

He's employing the RPE (Rafa Preemptive Excuse) tactic.

Completely agree!

 

[Chris Evert Fan]

I wouldn't really worry too much about it. Yes, he has been playing almost non-stop since December, and I must say that he is doing remarkably well, especially defeating Federer convincingly at the Australian Open and Dubai. Could he be heading to number 1 this year? That would be very exciting to see. He certainly has the ability and qualifications. But there is no reason to believe, at least yet, that this much play has created a physical problem.

I agree that this is probably just precautionary; perhaps it has a bit of the dramatic to it, to mislead opponents, to make them think he is vulnerable. But I'm not sure I would go that far.

Let's just wait and see rather than drawing premature conclusions.

 

[tennis_pro]

It's a good thing he didn't injure his groin, put this contraption on and showed up for the presser.

This is Djokovic reading your post

 

[DownTheLine]

Oopsie. With sucess comes injury...except for fed.

Because Fed is as close to God as a Human can get.

 

[jodd]

i don't think it's that serious.

i do wonder, though, why he isn't injured more seriously more often; he throws himself around the court like a ragdoll. so many of his splits and slides look like they'd be murderous on the joints; i guess they would be for a less flexible person. i also feel like packing on muscle would be a terrible idea for him: i think the extra weight would hinder his speed and flexibility, and since these are such important aspects of his game, i don't think a slight boost in power or can be justified. whenever i see him play I think of the 'Gumby.'

 

[jodd]

also, fed has had a mild, but recurring back injury for a while, guys.

 

[YodaKnowsBest]

Because Fed is as close to God as a Human can get.

I agree, he did look godly in a weaker era.

 

[DownTheLine]

I agree, he did look godly in a weaker era.

Because a very young Federer didn't beat an older Sampras did he? 1>0

Because Agassi always dominated Federer? oh wait...

Agassi even said if him and Pete were in Federer's era they would have been dominated like everyone else.

 

[PCXL-Fan]

It's a good thing he didn't injure his groin, put this contraption on and showed up for the presser.

As men know the cold reduces size, so in Novaks case I'm guessing nobody would notice since it would all even out.

 

[stringertom]

Equipment change then offcourt regimen change

i don't think it's that serious.

i do wonder, though, why he isn't injured more seriously more often; he throws himself around the court like a ragdoll. so many of his splits and slides look like they'd be murderous on the joints; i guess they would be for a less flexible person. i also feel like packing on muscle would be a terrible idea for him: i think the extra weight would hinder his speed and flexibility, and since these are such important aspects of his game, i don't think a slight boost in power or can be justified. whenever i see him play I think of the 'Gumby.'

He dumped 3-stripe apparel but kept the shoes coz ST doesn't do footwear. Lose the shoes, too and while at it invest in some Phiten microtitan knee/ankle sleeves. Also, an aggressive yoga/Pilates-based platform of exercise would not add bulk while strengthening joints/tendons/ligaments.

 

[PSNELKE]

I agree, he did look godly in a weaker era.

Oh please stfu fangirl.. At least Nole managed to win 2 majors in the GOD era right?

 

[SirGounder]

If you look at NBA players, they often have huge ice packs strapped to their knees at the end of games. It's just to prepare you for the next day of competition. Human joints were never meant to be used for running around on concrete for hours on end day after day. The ice suppresses the body's natural reaction (swelling).

 

[Sentinel]

Because Fed is as close to God as a Human can get.

That too with recurring mono !!

And did you call him human :twisted::twisted:

 

[MajinX]

He's employing the RPE (Rafa Preemptive Excuse) tactic.

LOLL, awesome but that ice bag does look huge, maybe federer should do something similiar with his left elbow to even the odds.

 

[aphex]

I agree, he did look godly in a weaker era.

Yes, unfortunately he had to play in the era of useless mugs, like chokeovic.

 

[DownTheLine]

That too with recurring mono !!

And did you call him human :twisted::twisted:

I forgot to add super before Human. Sorry

 

[Underhand]

Is that Dr. Jack Kevorkian?

 

[stringertom]

Heavy on the Ice Elsewhere

Joker will appear at next presser with huge ice bag on left palm from excessive ball dribbling.

 

[Bud]

Wow! That's quite a bit of swelling! :lol:

Ya, I know it's ice

 

[Bud]

Novak should be careful or he'll experience what happened to Nadal in 2009