World No.1 Novak Djokovic did not pick up his racquet for more than four months during his lengthy layoff after having surgery on his right elbow. The Serbian revealed that getting back to rhythm was actually difficult than he thought.

Long time opponents and friends, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray held an Instagram live session on Friday. The two talked about various topics during their chat including their struggle after returning from major injuries.

The Serbian was highly impressed with Murray. Djokovic praised him for trying to come back after everything that he has been through in the last three-four years. He also recalled his struggles while returning to professional tennis after elbow surgery in 2017. 

“I probably thought that I’ll deal mentally and emotionally” – Novak Djokovic

Djokovic explained that he was not feeling any unease. He told Murray that he was feeling actually happy to be at home, happy to do some other things that are always kind of waiting to be addressed maybe because there’s never really time or energy to think about other things or do other things.

Moreover, Novak revealed that his wife Jelena was pregnant with their second child at that time. He further explicated that it was a perfect time for him to be at home. However, going through the injuries and trying to kind of bounce back and find that motivation again is difficult.

“But I must say that I probably thought that I’ll deal mentally and emotionally better with the competition once I’m back from injury than it actually was. I felt I was very confident in myself. I was like I am fine, I’m gonna practice for whatever weeks. I’m gonna be okay nothing that I am not familiar with,” Djokovic said during the Instagram live with Murray.

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“But once I stepped on the court, it took me probably about four-five months to really start playing as I wanted to play,” he concluded.

Read More: Novak Djokovic Schedules Another Instagram Live Session With Fellow Professional

All the players are experiencing a lengthy layoff currently due to the coronavirus pandemic and it could extend for an indefinite time. Hence, these athletes would certainly find it difficult to find their rhythm once the season resumes. It will be interesting to see how the players maintain their level with no practice for around five months.