“97% players would pull out,” Coach Goran Ivanisevic hails ‘Different Species’ Novak Djokovic after his 10th Australian Open win
Ivanisevic admired Djokovic's determination to remain despite his serious hamstring injury after receiving MRI results on Saturday
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Novak Djokovic celebrating with his team after winning his 10th Australian Open title (via Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic has to be coveted for his flawless display in the 2023 Australian Open final. The 10-time Australian Open champion broke multiple records with his historic win. Djokovic has now equaled tennis great Rafael Nadal with 22 Grand Slam titles to his name. He will return to No. 1 in the world rankings on Monday, for a record 374th week.
The Serb was reduced to tears after his much-emotional win. After his deportation last year and a severe hamstring injury in 2023, it was difficult to come back to full form in the tournament. Novak entered the tournament with his win in Adelaide fresh on his mind. His road to the championship title was going smoothly until his third-round match.
Following the match, Djokovic announced his injury issues, which led to many controversies. Embroiled in controversies, Djoko managed to win his title in straight sets. The 35-year-old had an easy first set against Stefanos Tsitsipas, but the Greek proved to be a challenge ultimately, and he won the match, 3-6, 6(4)-7(7), and 6(5)-7(7).
The sports star broke down in tears after his record-breaking win in Melbourne. Novak rushed to the coaching box to celebrate with his team, where he shed some tears. Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic’s coach, revealed in the post-match press conference that the player had received a critical report regarding his injury.
Also read: List of records broken by Novak Djokovic after winning the 2023 Australian Open
Goran Ivanisevic expresses ‘shock’ at Djokovic’s decision to play the Australian Open final despite severe injury results
Ivanisevic said in the press conference that most players would definitely pull out of the tournament after the MRI results Djokovic received just a day before the final. The coach said ” When you get the results of the MRI, you go straight and pull out of the tournament. But not him. He is from other space. His brain is working different.”
He further elaborated that he is still shocked at some of the record-breaking champion’s decisions and thoughts, even after working for four years with him. Ivanisevic also said he was scared for Novak after his second-round match against Grigor Dimitrov.
“He gave everything. 77 therapies a day. Every day was kind of better and better. I didn’t expect this. Honestly, I was shocked. Okay, first two rounds okay, but then against Dimitrov was very scared. But he got through and in the end, he won the tournament.”
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Tanisha Mohanty
(172 Articles Published)