Novak Djokovic ropes in Cristiano Ronaldo’s special doctor to treat his hamstring at the Australian Open

The Serbian legend sought out a well known professional in his quest to recover as soon as possible from his hamstring injury


Novak Djokovic ropes in Cristiano Ronaldo’s special doctor to treat his hamstring at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic and Cristiano Ronaldo

21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic flew in world-renowned doctor Marijana Kovacevic from halfway around the world to treat the hamstring injury he picked up on the eve of the Australian Open. Kovacevic counts Cristiano Ronaldo as her most famous client and has worked magic on Djokovic, as the Serbian seems to have made a remarkable recovery from his injury.

ADVERTISEMENT

Djokovic expressed his gratitude towards Kovacevic for coming to Australia when he called. He also praised her work with him and said he’s feeling the benefits of it. “I am grateful that she came,” Djokovic said. “I’ve had a lot of treatments with a lot of people here in Melbourne. I tried to reach as many experts as possible. We also thought of Marijana, who traveled halfway around the world to come here. I am grateful for her therapies and her work, and I feel the benefits of her work.”

Djokovic had picked up a hamstring strain during the semifinals clash of the Adelaide International 1. Playing against Daniil Medvedev, the Serbian had to take an extended medical timeout to deal with the injury. He still went on to win the match and then the tournament. But Djokovic admitted before the start of the Australian Open that his injury would hamper him.

He struggled in the early rounds. Djokovic needed medical timeouts in many of the initial rounds. He still won those games and dominated in his usual fashion. Djokovic finally turned a page against Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinal. He played through that match without any medical timeouts and said afterward that he felt great physically.

ADVERTISEMENT

Kovacevic’s work has been a godsend for Djokovic. He has been able to recover just in time for the final. He will play against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the championship decider and will look to win his 10th Australian Open title.

Related: Boris Becker comments on Novak Djokovic’s record at the Australian Open as he reaches his 10th final

Novak Djokovic’s run at the 2023 Australian Open

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Djokovic has been in pristine form at the Australian Open. The Serbian has changed strategy to shorten games and give his injury as much time to recover as possible. This has resulted in some aggressive tennis and brilliant shots being played by him.

Djokovic started his campaign under a cloud after his injury. But he showed everyone that a physical problem wouldn’t affect his ability. He started his tournament with a straight sets win over Roberto Carballes Baena. He then dumped Frenchman Enzo Couacaud in the next round. Djokovic then dominated and beat Grigor Dimitrov and Alex de Minaur convincingly in straight sets. He faced his biggest challenge against Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.

ADVERTISEMENT

But he showed that class is permanent. Djokovic beat Rublev in straight sets while only dropping seven games throughout. He continued his fine streak against Tommy Paul in the semifinals, beating him 7-5,6-1,6-2. He now faces his highest-ranked opponent in the final. Djokovic hopes to continue his form against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

Incase you missed it:

Coco Gauff vows to come back strong following her disappointing 2023 Australian Open

Misunderstood Novak Djokovic gets emotional, talks on wanting to win 10th Australian Open and more Majors

ADVERTISEMENT