Belgrade: Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic was on Friday forced to withdraw from an exhibition tournament held in Abu Dhabi due to elbow pain.
At the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, Djokovic was expected to make his first appearance since July, when an elbow injury forced him to put an end to his 2017 season, reports Efe.
"Unfortunately, in the past few days I started to feel pain in the elbow and after several tests, my medical team has advised me not to risk anything, to withdraw from the tournament and to immediately continue with the therapies," Djokovic said in a statement.
"I am very sad because I was eager to return to playing official matches. I enjoyed the practices and everything I did to get ready for the start of the season, including the tournament in Abu Dhabi, where I always enjoy playing," he added.
Former World No.1 Djokovic was scheduled to play against Spaniard Bautista Agut in the semifinal.
"This might affect the start of the season and the tournament plan, but the decision will be made in the following days," he added.
The 12-time Grand Slam champion was the favourite to clinch the title after Spain's Rafael Nadal withdrew from the tournament.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Deir Al-Balah, Dec 4: A Palestinian health official said Wednesday that at least 21 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a camp housing displaced people in Gaza.
Atif Al-Hout, the director of Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said 28 people were wounded.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports but had no immediate comment.
The strike in the Muwasi area, a sprawling coastal camp housing hundreds of thousands of displaced people, near the southern city of Khan Younis, came after Israeli forces struck targets in other areas of the Palestinian enclave. Earlier strikes on central Gaza killed eight people, including four children.
Israel's war in Gaza began when Hamas-led group attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel's offensive has killed over 44,500 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 Hamas group members, without providing evidence.