Djokovic vows to rediscover his winning habit

Novak Djokovic has vowed to return stronger than ever after confirming he will not play again in 2017 due to a persistent elbow injury.

The Serb has withdrawn from next month's US Open and will sit out the remainder of the season to rest his right elbow, which has plagued him for the last 18 months.

The extent of the problem was highlighted when the 30-year-old Serb was forced to retire during his quarter-final clash with Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon.

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That proved the final straw for the world number four, who has looked a shadow of his former self since winning the last of his 12 Grand Slam titles at the French Open last year.

He said it was a tough decision to end a run of 51 consecutive appearances in Grand Slams, dating back to 2005, but added he intended to use the break to become an even better player, reports The Guardian.

He said: "It's a new experience for me but I'm trying to look at it from a brighter side. I have time where I can dedicate myself to healing and building up my body and strength and focusing on certain elements of my game that I never had time to work on. Now I have time to perfect it and build the foundations for the next five years or more.”

Djokovic became the first man to hold all four Grand Slam titles since 1969 when he won the French Open last year, but the effort to achieve and maintain such dominance appears to have taken a huge toll on his body.

Excessive playing has left him with a bruised bone in his elbow which requires complete rest rather than surgery.

The former world number one hopes to return in January, reinvigorated in the same manner as Roger Federer, who triumphed at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year following a prolonged break.

"Exactly a year ago to the day, Roger Federer called time on his 2016 season because of a knee problem," says the BBC. "If Djokovic's return goes half as well as Federer's it will certainly have been the right decision.

"Rankings-wise, Djokovic will plummet. Federer showed that it doesn't take long to rebuild with the right results early on in a comeback, and Djokovic is nearly six years Federer's junior."

The Serb will continue to work with Andre Agassi as he plots his route back up the rankings next year, but Paul Newman in The Independent questions whether he will find the task as easy as Federer seemingly did.

"While the parallels with Federer’s situation are obvious, it remains to be seen whether the outcome will be the same," he writes.

"Federer, significantly, took his break at a time of stability in his life both on and off the court. For Djokovic, life away from tennis has not always been easy over the last two years.

"The Serb admitted to off-the-court problems last summer, though he later said they had been resolved. His wife, Jelena, is expecting their second child later this year."