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After his Melbourne masterpiece, 'Machine' Djokovic spurs injury speculation. MELBOURNE, Australia – Novak Djokovic's almost miraculous comeback at the Australian Open sparked controversy on Tuesday, raising the question: when is an injury not an injury?
Before the Grand Slam began last week, the 35-year-old Serb was dealing with a left hamstring injury as he sought a record-equaling 22nd major title.
The red-hot favourite has needed medical attention throughout bouts, has been wearing heavy strapping, and recently stated that he is unable to train.
The injury looked to have the potential to derail his tournament entirely.
And yet, there he was on Monday, the strapping still there, but the former world number one moving easily to defeat local favourite Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 and go to the quarterfinals.
Djokovic's hamstring was so far better that "I didn't feel any pain," he stated afterwards.
He praised his medical staff and admitted to using anti-inflammatories, which he dislikes.
"It's been very stressful to be involved in so many various therapies, technologies, and things that we perform," he added.
De Minaur was questioned about his opponent's hamstring and all the hype surrounding it during his post-match news conference, when he highlighted how effectively Djokovic was able to manoeuvre about the court.
"It's all anyone's been talking about," the 23-year-old explained.
"I was playing against him on the court today. Either I'm not a good enough tennis player to notice, or it looked fantastic to me."
On Tuesday, the Australian proceeded to Twitter to criticise stories that interpreted his words as casting doubt on how seriously Djokovic was hurt.
Djokovic told Serbian journalists at Melbourne Park that claims that he exaggerated or even fabricated his ailment only spurred him more.
Djokovic's injured left leg sparked a broader debate about how often it is for tennis players to compete while injured and why a player would try to exaggerate or even fake being wounded.
Aside from Djokovic, a number of players have been affected by injuries in Melbourne, notably Sebastian Korda, who retired injured from his quarter-final against Karen Khachanov on Tuesday.
World number nine Taylor Fritz tweeted that 80 per cent of players "are usually dealing w something (severity degrees varies) but everyone is honestly always a little banged-up".
"The media is always concentrating on the big men so their problems receive more attention," the American explained.
"In addition, some athletes are more outspoken about injuries than others."
I don't believe individuals manufacture ailments, but I believe athletes occasionally exaggerate the severity of an injury to depress themselves and help them play better."
Daria Saville, who was born in Moscow but now represents Australia, emphasised how common it is for athletes to perform while suffering from aches and pains.
"Playing with a niggle, soreness, or even persistent discomfort is not an injury," she tweeted.
"An injury is anything that causes you enough pain to prevent you from competing. Believe me, I'm well aware."
The world number 56 missed much of 2020 and 2021 with injury, but stated that she had "played for 6 years with chronic discomfort in my Achilles".
Djokovic, on the other hand, is "a machine and can definitely withstand more discomfort than others," according to Saville.
