Bengaluru — Tennis former world number one Novak Djokovic’s preparation for next month’s Australian Open suffered a blow when he pulled out of the season-opening exhibition event in Abu Dhabi on Friday due to pain in his right elbow. The 12-time Grand Slam winner was scheduled to kickstart the new season against Roberto Bautista Agut but was advised by his medical team to skip the tournament just hours before the match. Djokovic has not played since he was forced to retire against Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in July due to an elbow injury. "I am terribly disappointed that I am forced to withdraw from the Mubadala World Tennis Championship," the Serb said in a statement. "Unfortunately, in the past few days I started to feel pain in the elbow and after several tests, my medical team has advised me not to risk anything, to withdraw from the tournament, and to immediately continue with the therapies. "I am very sad because I was eager to return to playing official ...

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