Novak Djokovic says he played matches on anti-inflammatories before deciding elbow surgery was necessary

What was said

"I've done it for like a year or something with playing uh under these pills like every single match to the point where I didn't feel pain anymore. Sorry, actually I felt the pain even if I was taking the full dose of anti-inflammatories and that's was the sign for me like I have to you know operate this I have to do something different."

Novak Djokovic says he managed a long-running elbow problem by taking anti-inflammatories match after match for about a year, despite normally avoiding such medication. He says he concluded he needed surgery when he still felt pain even on a full dose, and adds he was upset because he had promised himself he would not undergo surgery during his career.