Novak Djokovic says he doesn’t feel the need to prove anything to his doubters after overcoming a hamstring injury to win a record 10th Australian Open title.
Djokovic arrived in Melbourne carrying a hamstring injury and he was evidently hampered by the issue in his first three matches at Melbourne Park.
But in the second week, the hamstring injury wasn’t causing Djokovic that many problems, which led to some questioning the legitimacy of the Serb’s injury.
After beating Stefanos Tsitsipas for a record 10th Australian Open, Djokovic addressed his doubters.
“A lot of people doubted and still doubt whether I was injured. I’m going to pull some stuff to prove but I don’t feel like I need to prove anything to anyone. It did affect me, especially in the first week. From the fourth round onwards, I felt like it was behind me,” Djokovic said, per The West Australian.
Djokovic felt ‘relaxed’ in the second week
Djokovic was undergoing daily treatments on his hamstring and it resulted in him looking much better in the second week of the Australian Open.
“It actually helped my tennis a lot because I felt like I could run free. I was not thinking about it,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic is now a record 10-time Australian Open champion as he hasn’t lost at Melbourne Park since 2018.
The last player to have beaten Djokovic at the Australian Open was Hyeon Chung, who stunned the Serb at Melbourne Park five years ago.
Since the Chung loss, Djokovic has won four consecutive Australian Open titles – 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023.
As you probably know, Djokovic wasn’t allowed to compete at the Australian Open in 2022.
Djokovic is now tied with Rafael Nadal on the all-time Grand Slam record list with 22 Grand Slams.
Djokovic’s next goal will certainly be to win more Grand Slams and finish ahead of Nadal in the Grand Slam race.
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