(Melbourne) Australian Open tennis manager Craig Tiley has revealed Novak Djokovic triumphed at Melbourne Park despite tearing three centimeters of hamstring muscle in his left leg.

“He is criticized, but in the end no one can dispute his qualities as an athlete. This guy, he was suffering from a three centimeter tear in his thigh,” Tiley mentioned on Wednesday in an interview with SEN Sportsday.

“Doctors will… tell you the truth,” Tiley continued. There were many rumors floating around whether it was true or not. It’s hard to believe that someone can manage to accomplish a feat like this despite this kind of injury. It’s amazing. »

Djokovic won the Australian Open title on Sunday by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets, claiming his 10 in one go^e major title at Melbourne Park – a record – and at the same time joining Rafael Nadal at the top with 22 career Grand Slam titles.

This conquest also means that the Serb has returned to the top level in the world when the ATP rankings update is published on Monday.

The 35-year-old veteran reportedly injured his hamstrings during a preseason tournament in Adelaide ahead of the Australian Open. He wore a massive bandage on his left thigh and was visited by therapists a few times during the first week of activities in Melbourne.

He has previously admitted to taking “a lot” of painkillers and receiving various leg treatments.

“What I can tell you: it’s not 100%, but 97% of players, when they get the results of an MRI test on Saturday, so they go to the office of the chief referee and withdraw from the tournament,” Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic said after the final.

“But not him… His brain doesn’t react the same way,” he added.