Australian Open: “God” should help: thigh is Djokovic’s biggest opponent

Australian Open
“God” should help: thigh is Djokovic’s biggest opponent

Novak Djokovic plays with a bandage on his left thigh at the Australian Open. photo

© Uncredited/XinHua/dpa

Muscular problems jeopardize Novak Djokovic’s title mission at the Australian Open. The Serb is worried, no longer trains – and hopes for support from above.

The trophy actually seemed reserved for Novak Djokovic. Who should stop the tennis star on his very special title mission at the Australian Open a year after the entry whirlwind? Rafael Nadal, who has already been eliminated, is not. It is now clear who Djokovic’s biggest opponent is: his left thigh. And that is more unpredictable for him than any opponent.

“To be honest, it’s not good at all,” the Serb replied immediately after his second round win over Frenchman Enzo Couacaud in a Eurosport interview when asked how his thigh was doing: “It’s up to God to help me.”

Injury no trifle

Is it really that dramatic? Well, the injury was not a trifle, assured Djokovic a little later. “I’m concerned,” he said, “and I have reasons to be concerned.” Against Couacaud, the 35-year-old did not move very well with a tape bandage around his injured thigh, he also took a medical break. “It doesn’t look good. I said before the first match: He wouldn’t wear a bandage if he didn’t have anything,” said his ex-trainer Boris Becker at Eurosport.

Djokovic has been struggling with the problem for two weeks, which seems to have gotten worse at Melbourne Park. He doesn’t train at all between matches to give his leg more recovery time and then “somehow” be able to play at the highest level. “There are two options: leave it or continue. I will continue,” he said.

Now against “Balkan brother”

On Saturday (7:00 p.m. local time/9:00 a.m. CET), the exceptional talent, unbeaten at the Australian Open since 2018, will fight Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, whom he calls his “Balkan brother”, for a place in the round of 16. Djokovic draws hope from the memory of his last triumph at the Australian Open two years ago. At that time, despite an abdominal muscle injury, he struggled to get into the final, which he won against Russian Daniil Medvedev.

He has nothing else in mind than overall victory. With the 22nd Grand Slam triumph, he would draw level with record holder Nadal and crown a triumphant return a year after his forced departure from Australia, which he felt was completely unfair. Becker is skeptical: “Now he has a day off, but the question remains whether he can realistically win the tournament with such an injury.”

Australia makes peace with Djokovic

His opening match proved that Australia has already made peace with the star after the fuss about a missing corona vaccination. There was cheering and applause instead of whistles and boos – and a declaration of love from Djokovic: “If I had to choose a place and a time, it would be the night session here in the Rod Laver Arena.”

Perhaps he already regretted these words two days later when a small group of obviously drunk men annoyed him in the duel against Couacaud. From the very first point, they tried to “provoke me” and “get into my head,” he complained to the referee. A little later the small group of men dressed in red and white with bobble hats on their heads were led out of the hall.

Djokovic also had a public dispute with the TV station Eurosport, which reported that the Serb had gone to the toilet in the middle of a sentence in the opening match. Djokovic defended himself against the accusation on Instagram and warned the broadcaster to be “more careful” in reporting.

These incidents at least indicate that Djokovic’s nerves are tense. For the first time in 15 years, his parents traveled Down Under with him to support him. At that time Djokovic had won his first of a total of 21 Grand Slam titles. His wish this time: “Hopefully they bring me luck again.”

dpa

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