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Marquez: Surgery was "more difficult" than expected
Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has admitted he will not be in perfect shape at the first pre-season test of 2019 at Sepang after a "complicated" surgery.
David Gruz
Edited: Jan 24, 2019, 3:52 PM
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Honda rider Marquez dislocated his shoulder many times while training last year, and even had a couple of crashes towards the end of the season that left him with shoulder pain.
He limited his running during the post-season tests as a result, and consequently underwent surgery in December to resolve the problem.
While the initial plan was for him to be fully healed by the middle of January, Marquez said the surgery was "more aggressive and more difficult" than anticipated, and that the recovery time was instead estimated at three-to-four months.
However, he still aims to be fully ready for the season opener in Qatar, which will take place on March 10.
"Obviously the shoulder will be not 100 percent for Sepang [test], but my target is try to be 100 percent or as close as possible in Qatar GP," said Marquez,
"The surgery has been more aggressive and more difficult than what we expect.
"I was four hours inside the surgery because [it] was more complicated than what they expect, even the doctors.
"But anyway they already say that minimum will be three months, four months, but I am working quite hard. Already one month and a half [since], the progress is going in a good way, so this is the most important.
"How [the shoulder] will be in Sepang I don't know - I still have two weeks and now it's good because every day I feel some improvement, every day is going better and better, but of course about physical condition will be maybe the most difficult - because it's one of the most difficult circuits [physically]."
It is the second time in Marquez's career he has to start a MotoGP season injured as he had broken his leg in a training accident ahead of the 2014 campaign.
That year, Marquez won the first 10 races of the season, clinching the title with ease.
But the five-time MotoGP champion insists he is in a different situation now, and is wary of exacerbating his shoulder injury.
"2014 was a difficult pre-season too because I did the first test and then I get injured and I was one months and a half [out] and I go directly to the first race, but then the season was the best one for me.
"Anyway I think this is completely different, was a big surgery, big injury to the shoulder, is something that I struggle all last year but now I feel already more fixed.
"We are working in the best way to be at 100 percent but I think will be important to start slowly because I don't want to repeat again.
"I don't want again small crash and be again on the same situation, so I need to be patient."
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