How bad was Novak Djokovic’s (35) injury on his Australian Open win really?
The tennis world is still discussing this days after the Serb’s tenth triumph Down Under, in which he won the tournament with a thick thigh bandage.
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Most recently, tournament director Craig Tiley (61) defended the Melbourne record champion, explaining that he had seen a three-centimeter tear in Djokovic’s thigh muscles on the corresponding MRI images.
Playing tennis so successfully with such an injury? Can’t even imagine one of Djokovic’s Melbourne opponents. Enzo Couacaud (27) reports serious doubts about the severity of the injury to the world number one.
The Frenchman clearly: “If you see the biggest who can’t make a step and then another who plays 15 days and wins a Grand Slam, then that seems a bit far-fetched,” said Couacaud in an interview with the French portal “Tennis Actu”.
As examples he named Rafael Nadal (36) or PSG star Kylian Mbappé (24), who is currently injured in the thigh. Couacaud: “But above all Rafa. With his injury at Wimbledon (persistent foot injury, ed.) he couldn’t even serve – and he’s tough…”
Coucaud continued: “We are talking about the best athletes and not those who do not have access to medical care or equipment. And then it’s difficult to believe that there is exactly one person in the world who can still play.”
The number 169 in the world made it into the main draw in Melbourne as a qualifier, then lost to the Serbian superstar in round two (1: 6, 7: 6, 2: 6, 0: 6). Couacaud was the only one to take a set from Djokovic in the entire tournament.
There were also little things in the game against him that “do not seem logical. I’ve always been told not to stretch if you’re injured. Then you see Novak constantly stretching. You think to yourself: either they have a new method in Serbia or it’s just weird.”
Couacaud was “too far away to judge the authenticity of anything. But it’s hard to believe.”
Djokovic himself was annoyed by the discussions about his condition, saying during the tournament: “If some other players are injured, then they are the victims, but if it’s me, I fake it. It’s very interesting.”
So he was already considering publishing the ultrasound images of his thigh, which should prove the injury.
Probably the only way to end the discussions once and for all.
