"Rafael Nadal's expressions were not encouraging" - Novak Djokovic & Spaniard's injury concerns a case of 'abundance of caution,' hopes journalist

Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim has expressed his hope that Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic's recent injury concerns are merely precautionary measures ahead of the 2024 Australian Open.

After being sidelined for a year due to a hip injury, Nadal made a strong comeback at the Brisbane International, securing promising straight-set wins over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler. Despite appearing set for a similar win against Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals, the Spaniard seemingly re-injured his hip during the clash and eventually lost 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-4.

Djokovic, meanwhile, struggled with a wrist injury during his win over Jiri Lehecka at the United Cup. The issue resurfaced during his shock straight-set defeat to Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals of the mixed team event.

Djokovic and Nadal's injury scares have raised concerns about their fitness ahead of the 2024 Australian Open. While Wertheim suggested that both players were simply exercising an abundance of caution before the Major, he also expressed concern over the Spaniard's all-too-familiar facial expressions regarding his injury at the Brisbane International.

"One hopes - and the same goes for Djokovic wrist - this falls under the "abundance-of-caution-before-a-Major" heading….but those familiar Nadal facial expressions were not encouraging….," he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

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Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal shed light on their injury concerns ahead of Australian Open 2024

Novak Djokovic

Following Serbia's defeat to Australia in the United Cup quarterfinals, Novak Djokovic shed light on his wrist injury, highlighting its impact on his performance against Alex de Minaur.

Despite the setback, the Serb expressed confidence in being fit for his title defense at the Australian Open.

"I think I'll be okay (for the Australian Open), to be honest. You know, it did have quite an impact, you know, particularly on the forehand and serve. Again, I don't want to be spending too much time talking about it and taking away credit, the victory from de Minaur," he said in his post-match press conference.

Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, opened up about the flare-up of his hip injury after his loss to Jordan Thompson, disclosing that he would assess its severity after a night's rest.

"I need to see how I wake up tomorrow morning. I mean, we have been talking these last days, talking about the positive things. That's why I am not over-positive when I have been talking," he said during his press conference.

"I have been talking with a lot of precaution because I know after a year is difficult for the body to be playing tournaments at the highest level," he added.

The Spaniard also hopes that the injury isn't serious and that he will be able to compete at the Australian Open, which commences on January 14.

"I don't know. I mean, I hope is not important, and I hope to have the chance to be practicing next week and to play Melbourne. Honestly, I am not 100% sure of anything now," he said.