Explained: Why Novak Djokovic Uses Ice Gloves During Changeovers At Miami Open
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Novak Djokovic is known for being willing to use unconventional methods to other players, and that was on show again during his 2025 Miami Open victory against Sebastian Korda.
Miami can get very hot, especially during the daytime. Djokovic's match was during the day after their scheduled night session on Wednesday was canceled due to other matches running too long.
Djokovic won his battle against Korda in two sets. The second set was close and went to a tiebreak, but the Serbian, as he so often does, played the most important points better to triumph.
Last year's Olympic gold medalist was also mindful of cooling his body down and recovering between points. He showed that by wearing ice gloves during sit-downs, something rarely seen in tennis.
A video of Djokovic wearing the gloves can be watched below. Some fans might find it humorous since they look like large oven gloves, and were certainly not being worn by the tennis legend as a fashion statement.
However, the scientific reasoning behind Djokovic's ice gloves makes complete sense. They will have cooled his body down and can also be used as an effective method for pain relief.
Speaking during the match, Martina Navratilova said she was surprised more players did not use ice gloves and felt it was another example of Djokovic's superior preparation for matches.
"They can cool your body down in like 30 seconds. Put the gloves on, it cools down the blood supply, and I don't know why more people aren't using it because the technology has been there for decades."
"But Novak is way ahead of everybody when it comes to technology. I haven't used them. They didn't have it in my day, but they have it now, and it's magic, and I don't know why the tournaments don't have it for all the players."
Djokovic has enjoyed a sublime return to the Miami Open. He had not played at the tournament since 2019 before deciding to return, and he has won it six times, most recently in 2016.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion reached his first final in Miami since that last title by thrashing Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. Djokovic and Dimitrov shared a friendship off the court, but he showed no mercy to the Bulgarian in their match.
It was also the first final Djokovic has reached since Andy Murray became his coach. Although it is just their third tournament together, the pair seem to be forming a close bond and enjoy working together.
Tennis fans never could have dreamed that Djokovic and Murray would eventually have a player/coach relationship while battling each other for Grand Slams. They contested seven major finals, with Djokovic winning five of them.
Their rivalry at their respective peaks was thrilling to watch. Fans enjoyed watching Murray and Djokovic interact at the 2025 Australian Open and were understandably thrilled when the Briton chose to stay as his former rival's coach.
They plan to continue working together until at least the end of the clay court swing.
