The responsibility of working with Djokovic: the unmissable story of his physio Ulises Badio

After a stage as physio of the ATP, Djokovic I call Badio to join your team“I started working for the ATP between 2011 and 2012, so we saw each other from time to time. As a physiotherapist I have always had several goals since I was a child, and my dream was always to start working with ‘the number one'”. The connection was largely forged by their approach to a holistic way of life. “Apart from holism, both Novak and I have a very concrete life story. I don’t know if he brought us closer, but he helped us to be very open when making a decision or doing some kind of therapy. That, to a great extent, is what kept us together.” recognizes the Argentine.

One of the moments of greatest impact of the physio on the Balkan was in the Open the Australia 2021. After suffering an abdominal rupture in his confrontation against Taylor Fritz in the round of 16, Badio helped Novak to follow his path in the Grand Slam Australian to end up lifting it for the ninth time.

However, what is most striking about the Argentine’s talk with the Serbian media is the extreme attention to day to day and the care of the smallest details. A work ethic and a philosophy of life that borders on a sick point, only within the reach of great legends. “The responsibility of a tennis player like Djokovic is 200 percent, because when you touch an athlete like that, at such a high level, you can be one second away from injuring him. You must know his anatomy and your profession. It was important to have a lot of experience in the professional field and also to be a bit more on an alternative and holistic level”, emphasizes the coach who confesses, transparently, some details that escape mortals. “We work with him 24 hours a day. I can’t spend four hours treating him and then go see him before the game. I have to follow him at all times, even when he is sitting, to see how his posture is, or how much water he has drunk or how much he has eaten, or if he has been talking to someone on the phone for a long time, because every little detail can change him in the game. “.