Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic suffered an injury scare ahead of the Australian Open with a hamstring twinge forcing him to cut short a practice match with Daniil Medvedev.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion, who missed last year’s Australian Open after being deported due to his vaccination status, played just one set against Medvedev before withdrawing.
Djokovic lasted just 40 minutes on Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday, in what marked his first appearance in Melbourne since being forced from the country last year.
The Serbian is seeded No 4 for this month’s major in Melbourne, initially tweaked his hamstring during his run to the Adelaide International 1 title last week.
The 35-year-old has won 34 successive matches in Australia, with his previous defeat coming to South Korea’s Hyeon Chung at the 2018 Australian Open.
Defending champion Rafa Nadal is the top seed at the 2023 Australian Open in the absence of injured World No 1 tennis player Carlos Alcaraz.
The Australian Open is set to start on January 16.
