Novak Djokovic has had a rough lead-in to this year’s Australian Open, with his preparations far from straightforward.

The Serbian star has not played a competitive match since November, and just as he was beginning to ramp up his training for Melbourne, things went sideways.

Djokovic had to cut a practice session short due to neck pain and fatigue, raising even more concerns about his readiness.

There are now real doubts about whether he will even be able to play in the Australian Open, never mind challenge for the title.

And Danielle Collins did not shy away from exposing her concerns.

Novak Djokovic suffers injury scare ahead of the Australian Open

During a recent appearance on Tennis Channel, Collins spoke about the difficulties players face when dealing with neck and back problems, noting how tough they can be to shake off.

She said: “You know how I feel about this. Anytime you’re dealing with something in the spine, lower back, neck, it’s not a good sign. It’s not just a pain in the neck. It can be debilitating.

“So not excited about this for Novak. He’s going to have to probably get some muscle relaxer and some painkillers and hope that he can get that inflammation down before the tournament starts.”

Steve Weissman tried to provide a more optimistic view, saying: “Yeah, for me, there’s no concern. He’s won 24 majors, got ten of them down there in Australia. We got four or five days before he starts his first-round match.

“He’s the greatest of all time, so for him, he knows exactly what his body needs. He’s going to be fine come first round of the Aussie Open. So I expect him no issues to come start of the tournament.”

But Collins did not back down from her worries: “I mean, like Steve said, he’s the greatest of all time, but in my mind you know he is getting a little bit older and I do think there is something there and it’s not ever a good feeling going into a tournament when you have an injury or something like this come up.

“You can certainly make the adjustment but he’d better pray that he has a good draw.”

Novak Djokovic faces Frances Tiafoe in practice session

Even with the recent concerns, Djokovic stepped onto the court for a practice match against Frances Tiafoe earlier today.

It was a good chance for him to gauge how his body would hold up in a more intense setting than standard training.

While we have not seen any immediate effects, Djokovic looked sharp, winning 6-3, 6-4 over the American on Rod Laver Arena.

Despite being just an exhibition, these minutes on court are important as he manages his fitness ahead of another major campaign.

The window for adding more Grand Slam titles is not getting any wider at this stage of his career.