The Australian Open tourmanent director has revealed that Novak Djokovic suffered a 3cm tear in his hamstring during the tournament. It was alreay known that the world No 1 was carrying an injury during his run to a historic 10th title in Melbourne but Craig Tiley shared the full extent in a new interview after Djokovic claimed he would provide “proof” of the issue for those who doubted whether he was faking it or “playing it up”.
Djokovic had been battling with an injury during the Australian Open, taking multiple medical timeouts in his opening three rounds and admitting to using “pills and hot cream” to ease the pain. The hamstring caused a big issue in the first week, with the 35-year-old claiming it was “not good at all” after his second round match, but he was able to manage the pain and got back to his best level in the second week.
The sudden change left many questioning the validity of his injury, prompting the Serb to claim that he would provide “proof” of the problem after lifting a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam crown. While Djokovic himself is yet to elaborate on the issue, Aussie Open boss Craig Tiley has now revealed that the 35-year-old played the tournament with a 3cm tear in his hamstring.
“A lot of the challenges around Novak is that he gets a bad rap,” the tournament director and Tennis Australia chief told SEN Sportsday as he addressed claims that Djokovic had faked his injury. “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.”
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The Aussie Open tournament director also confirmed that he had seen proof of the injury himself as he addressed those who doubted whether Djokovic was faking it. “Absolutely (I saw the scans), the doctors are going to tell you the truth,” he continued.
“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.” Tiley also put Djokovic’s ability to play through a hamstring tear down to his off-court routines and preparation.
He continued: “He’s so focused on everything he does, with every single minute of the day. That’s what he eats, what he drinks, when he does it, how he does it. There’s no breakdown or mental breakdown in anything that he does.”
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