Novak Djokovic on forgettable 2017: 'A real roller-coaster ride'

Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has set his sights on the new season after a tumultuous 2017 he referred to as "a real roller-coaster ride." Djokovic will return to the court Friday during the Mubadala World Championship in Abu Dhabi after a six-month injury layoff.

Djokovic has not played any competitive tennis since the Wimbledon in July when an elbow injury forced him to shut down his 2017 season. The 30-year-old Serb admittedly could no longer delay surgery on the elbow that had troubled for several years.

“It’s (2017) been a real roller-coaster ride for me for a year and a half with this issue. I’ve never had surgery in my life, I’ve never had any major injuries that kept me away from the tour for such a long time. I never missed a Grand Slam in my career. It was a big decision, a big call to make. I couldn’t play anymore, there was no choice. I couldn’t play anymore, there was no choice. It was like, that’s it, you can’t lift your arm,” Djokovic told Sport360 in an interview.

After his return to the court in Abu Dhabi, Djokovic will kick off his season as a top seed at the Qatar Open next week before launching his Australian Open campaign. Djokovic, who holds the record for most singles titles at Melbourne Park in the Open Era, will be gunning for his seventh Australian Open crown.

Novak Djokovic ready to dominate 2018

Djokovic has added Radek Stepanek to his new coaching team spearheaded by American great Andre Agassi. The Serb believes his new team will help him return to the glory days.

“I’ve learned a lesson because I really want to avoid getting to that stage of an injury ever in my career after this. And it was a great lesson to learn to be honest. It was not easy for me to be absent for so long. I can’t wait to get back on the competition level but it was a great experience for me to have. And it was a somewhat necessary experience because I got maybe too comfortable with not having major injuries," Djokovic added in the interview.

Novak Djokovic will face either World No. 20 Roberto Bautista Agut or World No. 39 Andrey Rublev Saturday at the International Tennis Centre in Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi. The 2018 Australian Open will get underway at Melbourne Park on Jan. 15. Roger Federer, the reigning champion, has been tipped as the pre-tournament favourite. There is uncertainty over the availability of World No. 1 Rafael Nadal.