Picture Credit: Twitter
Australian Open 2021 champion Novak Djokovic will be out of action for a while after sustaining a muscle tear in his abdomen during the tournament. The 33-year-old recently secured his 18th Grand Slam title on Sunday. He defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in the Australian Open 2021 final.
Djokovic suffers another mysterious injury
Djokovic has had various kinds of injuries in past and he somehow finds a way to recover from those concerns. In the third round of the recently concluded Australian Open, the World number 1 was up against America’s Taylor Fritz. During a hard-fought contest, Djokovic was seen having some issues with his fitness. It was later revealed that he had indeed suffered a torn muscle in abdomen.
Although the Serbian sealed the win in a five-set thriller, he was indeed in a lot of pain. After the match, Djokovic said, “I don’t know if I’ll manage to recover from that in two days. I don’t know if I’m going to step on court or not … let’s see what happens.”
The 33-year-old did step on the court post that injury concern and went on to defeat Milos Raonic, Alexander Zverev, Aslan Karatsev and Daniil Medvedev to win his ninth Australian Open title.
I’ll have to take some time off: Novak Djokovic
On Monday, the World No. 1 was spotted at a beach in Melbourne with the trophy, where he also revealed the extent of the injury. He said, "I just came actually from another MRI that I've done this morning and the damage is bigger than what it was when it happened, when I did the first MRI after the third round. It's not too bad judging by what doctor said but I'll have to take some time off and heal. The tear is bigger."
Djokovic reflects on his experience in Australia
Djokovic reflected on his experience Down Under as a ‘rollercoaster’ ride. Amidst the quarantine rules, injury concerns, issues with the organizers and so much more, the Serbian capped it off with a satisfying win in the end. He said, “I reflect on it as a great experience, and a unique journey and I would definitely remember and try to take out a lot out a lot of positives from it.”
The 33-year-old admitted that it was a different kind of celebration this time around. He called his family, enjoyed a meal and cut a cake.