Former tennis player Paul McNamee has defended Novak Djokovic following criticism over the Serbian's injury during the Australian Open final.
The new world number one did not strap his injured leg during the final win against Stefanos Tsitsipas, which raised questions about the validity of the injury. However, former doubles world number one McNamee has come to Djokovic's defence and praised the Serbian's quality and mental strength to win his 10th Australian Open title.
"It’s a no brainer he was carrying an injury, but he was dedicated enough and good enough to overcome it. How? By being the best player right now by a good margin."
Throughout the tournament in Melbourne, Djokovic regularly asked for timeouts to ease the pain in his hamstring. But it has since been revealed that Djokovic was managing a three-centimetre tear in his hamstring.
The severity of Djokovic's injury meant he was unable to train in between matches and had his leg strapped during the early rounds.
However, Djokovic battled through the pain to seal his 22nd career Grand Slam title on Sunday, January 29, beating Tsitsipas in three straight sets.
Despite the win, McNamee was convinced that Djokovic was carrying an injury during the Australian Open final, which was noticeable by his movements.
"For the record, I’ve never seen Djokovic move that badly, or go for so many winners."
McNamee joined the likes of Australian Open organiser Craig Tiley and former player Jim Courier to defend Djokovic on how he handled the injury throughout the final.
After reclaiming the top spot in the men's world rankings. Djokovic is unlikely to feature in the upcoming Indian Wells and Miami Open tournaments in March. New US COVID-19 restrictions ahead of the competitions are likely to disqualify the Serbian player from entry to the country.
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