“I find it difficult Novak Djokovic could play with a tear,” Carlos Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero questions the Serb’s much-debated injury
Juan Carlos Ferrero doubts that Novak Djokovic could've moved 'the way he did' with a torn muscle during the Australian Open.
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Novak Djokovic recently lifted the 2023 Australian Open trophy, winning his record-extending 10th title. The player breezed past his round-level matches, but his recurring hamstring injury made a comeback before the final. Djokovic’s decision to not pull out of the match against Stefanos Tsitsipas incited many doubters.
Djokovic played and won the final despite a serious hamstring injury that had been troubling him for a long time. Many colleagues and players criticized the Serbian for “faking” his supposed injury. Juan Carlos Ferrero recently posed his opinion on the matter, saying he finds it difficult to believe that the world No. 1 could play with a muscle tear.
The Australian Open director reported that Novak has a 3 cm tear in his hamstring. Regardless of the claim, Djokovic did not back out from the tournament. Djokovic has not divulged any prognosis, scan findings, or really issued any sort of update beyond a very basic overview of how he was feeling, despite the fact that there is no reason for him too, and this has further fueled conjecture.
Ferrero expressed his opinions on a podcast, claiming that he found it ‘complicated’ that Djokovic could still move properly on-court. He said, “I’m not going to call Djokovic a liar…I find it difficult that he was able to play with a tear.” He also said, “The muscle is torn. I find it complicated that, if that were the case, Djokovic would move like he did.”
Carlos Alcaraz‘s coach lauded the Serb’s pain tolerance, and his ability to play well despite his recurring injuries, “Obviously, if he has the ability to take the brutal pain, which he can, good for him and he will have well deserved to win.” The former French Open champion also alluded to his own career, saying that injury makes competing ‘very, very difficult’. Nevertheless, the player-turned-coach chooses to accept the claims of the injury.
Also read: Novak Djokovic choked and broke down remembering dear friend and mentor Kobe Bryant
“I’m getting close to 100%,” Novak Djokovic to play in the Dubai Open after injury recovery
Novak Djokovic has declared that he is feeling totally recovered and plans to compete in the Dubai Free Tennis Championships next week. Additionally, Djokovic disclosed that he has yet to receive a response regarding his request for special permission to enter the US. The Serb had applied for an application to play in the Sunshine Double.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion recently held a press conference in Belgrade to address some issues. Djokovic said that he had almost reached “100% intensity” after going through weeks of recovery. He also said that ambitions are always “the highest” in every tournament, as he looks forward to playing in Dubai, where he has won the title five times.
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Tanisha Mohanty
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