NOVAK DJOKOVIC made an impressive return to action in an exhibition clash with Dominic Thiem yesterday but admitted his elbow is still not 100 per cent.

The former world No 1 has not played competitively since retiring during his Wimbledon quarter-final against Tomas Berdych in July.

Doubt was cast over whether Djokovic would be fit to play in the Australian Open, which starts on Monday, when he withdrew from warm-up events in the Gulf after feeling pain in the elbow.

Djokovic said that he was happy after beating Thiem 6-1 6-4 at the Kooyong Classic in Melbourne.

“I was waiting for this moment for six months to play a match. Also, I got a great opponent today, ranked five in the world, it was a fantastic test for me to see where I am, to see what we have done as a team in the off-season and whether it works on the court.

“It worked pretty well, especially the serve, which was the biggest question mark because of the elbow. That shot in my game was compromised prior to July when I had to stop in Wimbledon.”

“It’s the first time in my career I’ve had such a long break and it would be ideal if I had another tournament under my belt before coming out to Australia, but I haven’t had a chance. I’m going to take whatever I can.”