WATCH: Novak Djokovic’s hamstring tweaks again, scares tennis fans ahead of Australian Open
Novak Djokovic had to leave his practice match with Daniil Medvedev as an injury scare engulfs him once again.
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Novak Djokovic nursing his injury in the practice match
Tennis great Novak Djokovic is making headlines since setting foot on Australian soil. After a year of his infamous deportation, he returned to Australia. He got an overwhelming welcome from Australian tennis fans. Wherever he went, the people of Australia gave him a warm reception. He participated in and won the first ATP tournament of the year, which is the 2023 Adelaide International 1 tournament.
The Serb has made his intentions very clear. He is in Australia to win the Australian Open 2023 men’s singles title. This would be his career’s tenth Australian Open title. And this time, alongside Serbian fans, many Australian tennis fans are also cheering for him. Many tennis legends and even his competitors consider him the favorite to win this tournament.
However, with all the positivity and bright media limelight on him, an injury scare also arose. The latest news has come in that Novak Djokovic abandoned his practice match against Daniil Medvedev after tweaking his hamstring. This was the first time in the last year that he played in the Rod Laver Arena.
“I just felt it pulling and I didn’t want to risk anything worse. I played a set and apologised to him [Medvedev] and he was understanding. I just want to avoid any bigger scares before the Australian Open,” he said in an interview.
However, this is not the first time the nine-time Australian Open champion has tweaked his hamstring. He witnessed similar problems when he was playing against Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of the Adelaide International 1 tournament. He took a medical time-out and got back on the court to defeat the Russians 6-3, 6-4.
“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,” he had said at that time.
Tennis fans around the world hope that Novak Djokovic returns to his best fitness levels to be able to play in the Australian Open.
Related: When and Where will the Australian Open 2023 draw ceremony take place?
Novak Djokovic is on a record-breaking spree
The 35-year-old has come back to Australia with a determination to play and win against all odds. He is also breaking many records and making new ones in the process. Last week, he played his 348th match against ATP Top 10 ranked players when he defeated Denis Shapovalov in the Quarter-final round match of the 2023 Adelaide International 1 tournament and set up a semi-final clash with Daniil Medvedev. He broke Roger Federer’s long-standing record of 347 matches against ATP Top 10 ranked players.
Also, the 21-time Grand Slam champion’s winning percentage in these matches is also better compared to the Swiss legend. Novak Djokovic boasts a winning percentage of 69%, while Roger Federer boasts a winning percentage of 65%.
By defeating, Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final round of matches and setting up a final encounter with Sebastian Korda, he broke Rafael Nadal’s record of reaching the most ATP Finals. The seven-time Wimbledon champion is now ranked fourth and has played in 131 ATP Finals in his career.
The nine-time Australian Open champion also broke the 14-time French Open champion’s record of winning most ATP titles. He won his 92nd ATP title when he defeated Sebastian Korda in the final to clinch the 2023 Adelaide International 1 tournament. Now, only the Swiss legend has more ATP titles than him.
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Abhar Indorkar
(451 Articles Published)