Liam Broady fears that playing for two weeks through a 3cm hamstring tear might leave a long-term effect on Novak Djokovic. On Wednesday, Australian Open boss tournament director Craig Tiley revealed on SEN Sportsday that Djokovic played with a 3cm tear in his hamstring at Melbourne Park.
Through his Twitter account, Brady asked his followers to give his opinion on the Tiley revelation. “Makes you wonder if he’ll suffer long term damage. A 3cm tear is no joke,” a fan responded to Broady’s question. Reacting to the observation, Broady said: “That’s true with a tear like that and playing on it for seven matches it would affect him long term I would think.
Rafas Ab tear at Wimbledon I feel like he still might not be serving as well as he was before that?”
That’s true with a tear like that and playing on it for seven matches it would affect him long term I would think.
Rafas Ab tear at Wimbledon I feel like he still might not be serving as well as he was before that? — Liam Broady (@Liambroady) February 1, 2023
Brady fears a long-term effect might be left on Djokovic’s body
In the Adelaide semifinal against Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic pulled his hamstring but was able to finish the match and eventually win the title.
Then, Djokovic went to Melbourne and won a record 10th Australian Open title. Throughout the tournament, there were those openly claiming that Djokovic was “faking an injury.” This week, Australian Open boss Tiley claimed he saw the results of Djokovic’s MRI, which showed a 3cm tear.
“A lot of the challenges around Novak is that he gets a bad rap. But at the end of the day, I don’t think anyone can question his athleticism. This guy I did see, he had a three-centimetre tear in his hammy. Absolutely (I saw the scans), the doctors are going to tell you the truth.
There was a lot of speculation about whether it was true or not, it’s hard to believe that they can do what they do with those kinds of injuries. He’s remarkable, to deal with it extremely professionally,” Tiley told SEN Sportsday. Djokovic is now resting and he is expected to return to action in late February in Dubai.
