Djokovic not bothered by people casting a 'big shadow of doubt' over his injury
ATPTuesday, 28 February 2023 at 11:05
Updated at Saturday, 16 August 2025 at 14:28
Even weeks after his historic 10th Australian Open triumph, Novak Djokovic has to talk about the injury that he played through.
Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia, revealed that the Serb had a 3-centimeter tear, and Djokovic himself once stated that he would show proof of his injury.
But most recently, the 22-time Grand Slam champion stated that he doesn't have time to prove it to people, and he spoke about the injury once again prior to the 2023 Dubai Championships, where he's set to compete.
"It was challenging. I know there is a big shadow of a doubt whether I had an injury or not. There are a lot of people questioning that. But, I was definitely injured, and I know what I was going through and my team members."
Djokovic explained that the injury impacted him so much that he wasn't even able to practice in between his matches. According to him, that makes the Australian Open win even bigger.
"Obviously that makes the victory in Melbourne even greater, you know. Because I had to face adversities. I haven’t practiced one single day between matches. I just warmed up for the matches and played."
The Serbian player explained that he was able to miss practice sessions only because of his great preparation prior to the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.
"Luckily I was having a great preparation prior to coming to Australian Open and plenty of tennis so I was allowed to have the luxury of not practicing in the days with no matches and trying to use every moment to recover and to get my leg in a better shape."
"Right now, I have not felt pain for the last week or so. So I feel good on the court. (I’m) still building. Still getting to 100%, I’m still not there. But it’s a process and I’m looking forward to what’s coming up."
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