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Djokovic gets rankings tonic

Novak Djokovic could rise to a career-high world number two in next week’s rankings despite health problems again plaguing him in a Grand Slam tournament.

The Serbian third seed wilted to a five-set defeat to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in their Australian Open quarter-final late Wednesday, after being weakened by a stomach upset during the match.

With memories of his fourth set retirement to Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals of last year’s Australian Open through heat fatigue, Djokovic stayed to the finish after a medical time-out early in the fourth set.

He left the court to vomit and said he had a bout of diarrhoea prior to the match.

Yet despite the 2008 champion’s early demise he is still a chance of finishing the tournament ranked second only to Roger Federer.

The ATP said Thursday that was the scenario if British hope Andy Murray did not win his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne.

If Murray, who was due to face Croatian 14^th seed Marin Cilic in a semi-final later Thursday, wins the title Djokovic would remain at number three and Rafael Nadal would drop two places to four.

Djokovic refused to withdraw from his match against his 2008 final opponent Tsonga despite his poor condition.

“No, no. I wasn’t thinking about pulling out,” Djokovic said.

“For me it was important to get as far in the tournament as possible. I had high ambitions here because I felt well and played well and just feeling confident on the court, and then this happens.

“This is the most disappointing thing.

“I wasn’t thinking about rankings. If it (going to number two) happens it’s great. It’s something that I have been wanting for many years, but definitely I have to deserve it.”

Djokovic has a record of retirements at Grand Slam tournaments.

He retired in the second round against Guillermo Coria at the 2005 French Open, pulled out after two sets against Nadal in the 2006 French Open quarters, retired after three sets of his 2007 Wimbledon semi-final with Nadal and last year against Roddick at the Australian Open.

“It was unfortunate that I couldn’t perform at the level that I wanted to in the fourth and fifth set,” Djokovic said of his latest mishap.

“I don’t want to find excuses for my loss, but I went to vomit and I had diarrhoea before the match. It’s just a terrible feeling.

“It’s been a great tournament for me, so it’s just a bad way to not to be able physically go through the whole match.”

Djokovic’s next tournament is the ATP World Tour 500 event in Rotterdam, starting on February 8.