….Novak Djokovic was in sensational form as he claimed a record-extending 10th Australian Open title in Melbourne. This was achieved despite the Serb coming into the tournament carrying a hamstring injury. However, with the severity of the injury questioned by some, tournament boss Craig Tiley has dismissed those claims by revealing how badly the 35-year-old was actually suffering.
Novak Djokovic’s latest Australian Open victory has been described as “remarkable” after it has been revealed that he apparently competed with a three-centimetre tear in his hamstring, Eurosport reported.
Djokovic came into the tournament nursing the injury, with his left leg heavily strapped for many of his matches, and required regular treatments on his way to securing a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam singles title.
The Serb was also forced to skip training sessions between matches as he continued to play through the pain barrier. However, the severity of his injury was questioned in some quarters, something that the Australian Open CEO, Craig Tiley, has dismissed outright.
“A lot of the challenges around Novak are that he gets a bad rap,” Tiley told SEN Sportsday as he detailed the extent of the injury suffered by Djokovic.
“But at the end of the day, I don’t think anyone can question his athleticism.
“This guy I did see, he had a three-centimetre tear in his hammy. Absolutely [I saw the scans], the doctors are going to tell you the truth.
“There was a lot of speculation about whether it was true or not. It’s hard to believe that they can do what they do with those kinds of injuries.
“He’s remarkable, to deal with it extremely professionally.”
Djokovic took the time to respond to those doubting the extent of his injury during the tournament, hinting that he would one day show proof of how bad the issue really was.
Speaking after his fourth-round win over Alex de Minaur he said: “Only my injuries are questioned. When some other players are injured, then they are the victims, but when it is me, I am faking it. It is very interesting… I don’t feel that I need to prove anything to anyone.
“I have got the MRI, ultrasound and everything else, both from two years ago and now. Whether I will publish that in my documentary or on social media, depends on how I feel. Maybe I will do it, maybe I won’t.”
Djokovic’s latest triumph in Melbourne took his tally to 10 Australian Open titles, and drew him level with Rafael Nadal on 22 for the total number of Grand Slam singles titles.
