Revealed: Djoker’s tear in hamstring

Novak Djokovic won his 10th Australian Open tennis title despite managing a three-centimetre tear in his hamstring.

The tournament director Craig Tiley revealed yesterday Djokovic suffered the injury during his run to the title in Adelaide earlier in January, ahead of the Australian Open.

He bristled at questions about the severity of his injury during the fortnight in Melbourne.

It caused him clear discomfort during the opening three rounds. He described spending the time between his matches “hooked up to machines” as he tried to overcome the injury.

But Djokovic, 35, was able to overcome the physical issue when it counted and looked close to full fitness from the quarter-final onwards.

He won a record-setting 10th title in Melbourne, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas, returning to world No 1 and equalling Rafael Nadal’s men’s record haul of 22 grand slam titles.

Tiley said it was all the more “remarkable” Djokovic did so considering the severity of his injury.

“This guy had a three-centimetre tear in his hammy,” Tiley told SEN. “Absolutely [I saw the scans], the doctors are going to tell you the truth. There was a lot of speculation about whether it was true or not. It’s hard to believe that they can do what they do with those kinds of injuries. He’s remarkable, to deal with it extremely professionally.”

It was not the first time Djokovic has had to grapple with an injury during a major tournament. During his previous run in Melbourne in 2021, he won his ninth Australian Open despite tearing a muscle in his abdomen during his third-round match against Taylor Fritz.

His latest injury would have forced most players to quit, according to coach Goran Ivanisevic.

Tiley added: “He’s so focused on everything he does, with every single minute of the day. That’s what he eats, drinks, when he does it, how he does it. There’s no breakdown or mental breakdown in anything that he does.

“He has been through a lot and to win 10 Australian Opens, I don’t think that’s ever going to be repeated. He’ll hold a significant place in the history of the Australian Open.”