Novak Djokovic’s 2016 injuries—a sign of things to come? 

For a world top-ranked tennis player like Novak Djokovic any hint of a change in playing status or physical condition will generate a lot of commentary about his continued dominance of professional tennis. When the ATP #1 player suddenly dropped out of the 2016 China Open last week citing an elbow injury the buzz intensified.

Djokovic’s 2016 season and injuries

The bar has been set very, very high for the Serbian. Novak Djokovic and his HEAD Graphene XT Speed Pro Tennis Racquethave seen a lot of success in 2016. He earned championship trophies at the Australian Open and the French Open at Roland Garros. Djokovic made it to the finals men’s singles tennis court at the U.S. Open losing to Stan Wawrinka wielding a Yonex VCORE Tour G Tennis Racquet.A third round loss to American San Querry at Wimbledon was a shock. But his overall performance including Masters 1000 titles at Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Canada among tournament winsis something mere tennis mortals and pretty much all professional tennis players would dream about.

But as the year progressed along with Djokovic’s tennis successes a variety of injuries have also been a consistent theme.He referred to a wrist injury as a contributing factor in his early exit at Wimbledon. Djokovic later dropped out of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 tournament early in August citing the wrist injury. Hisinjured wrist during the U.S. Openlater in the same month was a persistent topic. Aches in both shoulders brought the trainer on the court in his match versus Gael Monfils mid-way through the U.S. Open tennis championships. But Djokovic clearly played through that.

How the 29-year-old deals with these injuries through the end of this year and into the 2017 season is the topic of much speculation throughout the tennis world.

Want more on dealing with tennis setbacks?

All tennis players can identify with adversity due to injury, a skills plateau or even a losing streak. Since tennis is an unrelenting one-on-one competition psychology is a big factor in success. There are some practical steps you can take in dealing with tennis setbacks.

What’s your view?

Do you think this is a temporary setback for the Novak Djokovic tennis legacy or a turning point in his top-ranked career?Join the tennis conversation on Facebookor Twitter.