Novak Djokovic Says He Has Muscle Tear and Is Unsure Whether He'll Continue at Australian Open

Novak Djokovic is unsure whether he'll play his fourth-round match at the Australian Open after saying he suffered a muscle tear on Friday.

Djokovic said he sustained the injury on his right side during a fall in his five-set victory over Taylor Fritz in the third round. The No. 1-ranked Djokovic slipped in the third game of the third set while trying to change directions and he awkwardly went down at the back of the court. He took a medical timeout for treatment from a trainer and was also helped during the next two changeovers.

Djokovic held on to win 7-6 (1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2 over Fritz in an empty Rod Laver Arena. The match began with a crowd, but they were forced to leave around 11:30 p.m. due to a local COVID-19 five-day lockdown that began at midnight.

"I really don't know, my friend," Djokovic said in his on-court interview when asked about recovery for the next match, per Forbes. "Well, I know it's a tear definitely of the muscle so I don’t know if I'll manage to recover from that in less than two days. I don't know. I don't know if I'm going to step out on the court or not. I just I am very proud of this achievement tonight, let's see what happens tomorrow."

Djokovic is scheduled to face 2016 Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic in the fourth round. The 33-year-old is chasing his 18th Grand Slam title and has won eight of those at the Australian Open.

However, Djokovic isn't the only star in Melbourne concerned about an injury. No. 2 Rafael Nadal, who is seeking his 21st major title to break a tie with Roger Federer, has been dealing with a back injury. Nadal will face Cameron Norrie in the third round on Saturday.