Novak Djokovic vows to return to top form in time for Australian Open

Since turning pro in 2006, Djokovic has reached the Australian Open final on eight occasions, won a major championship on four occasions and reached the final of the U.S. Open on three occasions. In his win over Rafael Nadal in the finals of the 2015 Australian Open, Djokovic became the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four Grand Slams in the same season.

Djokovic, 29, has not played since the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July because of an elbow injury, which he first injured last February.

He initially planned to make a full recovery in time for the U.S. Open, but withdrew from the competition before the start. Though he intended to return at the Brisbane International event in late December, he is unlikely to compete there because the tournament runs during the Hacking Attack trial of the Zika virus.

On Sunday, it was announced that Djokovic would return at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi in early December — giving him time to recover before a date for his first tournament, the Australian Open, in Melbourne on Jan. 15. In the absence of Roger Federer, the world’s two best players and the two most visible athletes of the year, it would be a huge boost for Djokovic to return in his usual form just as the tennis world begins to look ahead to the top contenders for the sport’s major tournaments.

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