When Novak Djokovic arrived in Riyadh last season for Netflix’s Six Kings Slam, he was elated to be a part of it. “It’s a great opportunity to test ourselves against the best and to entertain the fans with some high-quality tennis.” Although the event falls under the ‘exhibition’ category, it has emerged as a huge three-day extravaganza lately as the winner gets a chance to pocket $6 million. Alongside the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Alexander Zverev, the 24-time slam champion also will arrive in Riyadh albeit with a fitness concern.

For the uninitiated, Djokovic, 38, had a tough time last week at the Shanghai Masters. He missed out on the final after losing to Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot (who eventually won the Masters 1000 tournament). But more than the result, Djokovic’s struggles on the court with his body became a cause for concern. Due to the extreme weather conditions, he was seen taking medical timeouts in many of his matches in Shanghai. The last few days have served as a reprieve to recover ahead of the Six Kings Slam.

Before leaving for Riyadh, however, he recently issued a not-so-positive verdict on his overall well-being. He was spotted in Belgrade to cheer for Red Star Belgrade football club. That’s when he was approached by a reporter who asked him, “Tell me about the injury and how are you?” To this, the former World No.1 responded, “Well, there are all kinds of things, but we are pushing hard, we push.”

Djokovic didn’t say that he is alright. Instead, it seems he is going to just manage to play in Riyadh. If everything goes alright, without a sudden injury-led moment, we can see him wield the racket as intended.

However, the latest update doesn’t paint a good picture. Is he asking too much of his body despite his age? At least, a renowned injury prevention expert’s perspective says so.

Top expert gives verdict on Novak Djokovic’s struggles to stay afloat at 38

Stephen Smith, who is the CEO of Kitman Labs, didn’t mince his words in giving honest feedback on what’s going on with Novak Djokovic as of late. In his last campaign in Shanghai, the Serbian took a heavy hit to his body. In the match against Yannick Hanfmann, he was seen throwing up on the court, amid the temperatures touching 30C degrees.

Although he won that battle, his internal battle is still ongoing. Commenting on Djokovic, Smith said, “All of these bits and pieces are indicative of wear and tear,” while adding, “But also… sometimes the time off you get while nursing an injury means that your training load drops. Then you come back and you’re expected to compete at the same level. That can cause a cascading sequence of injuries.”

According to the expert, such situations occur when athletes try to push themselves too much. In the case of Djokovic, 38, the consequences have been indicative of what Smith has tried to convey. Even the Serbian himself admitted, after his semifinal loss against Valentin Vacherot in Shanghai that, “There’s always something happening with the body pretty much every match that I play right now.”

Now, it is easy to attribute adequate rest from the sport to be helpful. But no. And Smith came up with the reason why. “We try to rest our players more and give them more time off. And then it turns out that that actually backfires because the physicality of our games, the intensity of our games, regardless of sport today, have only got bigger, faster and stronger…” Ultimately, it all ends up taking a toll on the athlete’s body.

Hopefully, at the Six Kings Slam, starting today in Riyadh, Djokovic won’t be seen in pain again. His avid fans will wish for him to have a great, smooth run.