World No 4 Novak Djokovic will not play again this year because of an elbow injury.

The 30-year-old retired hurt during his Wimbledon quarter-final match against Tomas Berdych two weeks ago, and claimed to have been suffering from an elbow problem for 18 months.

Djokovic will miss the US Open, ending his streak of 51 consecutive Grand Slam appearances, and aims to return to the ATP tour in January.

‘This is one of those injuries where nothing can really help instantly. You just have to allow natural rehabilitation to take its course,’ Djokovic said. ‘Professionally, this is not, obviously, an easy decision for me.’

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