“Nothing too serious,” Novak Djokovic brushes off injury scare following win over Daniil Medvedev in Adelaide
The 9-time Australian Open winner injured his hamstring in the first set before recovering and besting Daniil Medvedev
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Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic downplayed fears about the hamstring injury he picked up during his semi-final clash against Daniil Medvedev at the ongoing 2023 Adelaide International on Saturday. Djokovic had tweaked his leg during the first set and took a medical timeout. He returned to the court and proceeded to win the match 6-3, 6-4 to progress to the final of the ATP 250 tournament.
The win puts Djokovic’s head-to-head record at 9-4 against the Russian. He acknowledged that playing against Medvedev was not easy, and he had to keep changing things to ensure Medvedev would not get too comfortable. Djokovic complimented Medvedev and called him one of the best servers in the world.
“Thankfully it was nothing too serious. If it was, I wouldn’t be able to continue, so I just tried with [a] medical timeout, some anti-inflammatories and kind of settled in after a few games. I was just trying to keep the momentum going and [not] allow him to break my serve.
“I think that was the key, that eventually I would get a chance. The longer the match went, the more my hamstring was warmer and bothering me less, so hopefully for tomorrow it will be all fine,” said Djokovic after his win over Medvedev.
Four straight-set victories in a row show that Djokovic is still one of the best players in the world in his 19th season as a professional. He will be confident that the positive momentum has prepared him for the Australian Open starting on January 16th.
Novak Djokovic’s incredible Australian Open record
21-time Grand Slam title winner, Novak Djokovic is the most successful player at the Australian Open. The Serbian legend has won nine Australian Open titles in his career. He won the Grand Slam title the last three times he participated in Melbourne Park from 2019 to 2021.
The last edition of the Major ended with controversy for Djokovic. He was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open and depart Australia due to his unvaccinated status. He called it one of the most challenging times of his life but maintained that he was keen to return to the country.
Having been granted a visa in November, Djokovic has wasted no time reasserting his dominance Down Under. The 21-time Grand Slam winner has an incredible 101-10 record in Australia, a 91.8% win percentage. Djokovic will be eager to win his 10th Australian Open title and get level with rival Rafael Nadal on 22 Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic will now face American Sebastian Korda in the finals on Sunday. This will be the first time the two players compete against each other. Djokovic will fancy his chances, having not dropped a set till this stage. But in Korda, the Serb will face an opponent he has yet to experience playing against.
Incase you missed it:
Novak Djokovic wary of ‘clean striker’ Sebastian Korda threat ahead of Adelaide showdown
Novak Djokovic breaks Roger Federer’s longstanding record as he proves his mettle once again
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Samarth Srivastava
(139 Articles Published)