Novak Djokovic Says Elbow Injury Was Reason for Wimbledon Exit vs. Tomas Berdych

Novak Djokovic revealed in his postmatch press conference that an elbow injury caused him to retire during his quarterfinal matchup against Tomas Berdych at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday.

"It's not the shoulder, it's the elbow that keeps bothering me," he said, per Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian. "For over a year-and-a-half actually. It's unfortunate I have to finish Wimbledon in this way. I was able for 30 minutes to play with some pain that was bearable. All the treatments and medication couldn't help. The serves and forehands were where I could feel it the most, and after that there was really no point."

He continued: 

"The intensity and level of pain was increasing as the days went by. I was feeling it since the beginning of the tournament. I kept doing everything with my physiotherapist. It was only getting worse. Today was the worst day. Probably the fact I played yesterday, days adding up, it wasn't helping. I'm not a specialist but I'm going to speak with some and understand what needs to be done. I haven't considered not starting. I always like to give it a shot and step on the court. That's all I could do."

Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times speculated about another potential factor in Djokovic's retirement: 

Wimbledon shared the moment Djokovic decided he could no longer continue the match, meanwhile: 

Djokovic joined Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray as surprise early exits at this year's Wimbledon. Nadal was eliminated in the Round of 16 on Monday against Gilles Muller, while Murray lost on Wednesday in the quarters against Sam Querrey. 

That left just Roger Federer standing among tennis' top four superstars. Federer beat Milos Raonic in straight sets on Wednesday to advance to the semifinals.

As Steinberg wrote, "It's the first time since 2005 that only one member of the Big Four has made it to the Wimbledon semis."

Djokovic's decision to retire has also become a trend at this year's Wimbledon, as he became the 10th player to retire at the tournament, per Steinberg.

"We've had a very long, very tough year with a lot of matches," Djokovic said. "Bodies have taken a lot physically. As an athlete, one way or another you are going to experience this kind of thing. Injuries are part of sport."