Djokovic’s injury is proving troublesome — but he can never be written off

MELBOURNE, Australia — Concern exuded from Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open press room. It was two years ago, the summer of 2021, and he was fielding question upon question about his nagging oblique injury.

“I know it’s a tear of the muscle. Definitely,” Djokovic professed to reporters. “I don’t know if I’ll manage to recover in less than two days. I’m not sure I’ll be able to play the next match.”

Hours earlier, during his third-round…