Novak Djokovic Unsure of 2018 Australian Open Status Due to Elbow Injury

After withdrawing from an exhibition match Friday due to an elbow injury, Novak Djokovic said he is unsure when he will return.

Djokovic pulled out of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, where he was supposed to face Roberto Bautista Agut. The former world No. 1 explained the reasoning behind his decision not to play, according to ESPN.com:

"I am terribly disappointed that I am forced to withdraw from the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. 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."

Djokovic also said he isn't sure when he'll be back, which could put his status for the upcoming Australian Open in jeopardy: "Now I need to accept this situation, and to wait for the results of the therapies, in order to start playing tennis again and getting back to full rhythm. This might affect the start of the season and the tournament plan, but the decision will be made in the following days."

The Australian Open will begin on Jan. 15, and Djokovic is a six-time winner of the event.

Djokovic hasn't played a competitive match since retiring in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in July due to the elbow ailment.

The 30-year-old native of Serbia is a 12-time Grand Slam winner and has the career Slam to his credit.

Djokovic didn't advance past the quarters in a Grand Slam last season, however, and 2017 marked the first year he didn't win a major title since 2010.

Nole is currently entered in next week's Qatar Open, and it is unclear if he will be able to compete in the tournament.