AO boss Craig Tiley confirms Novak Djokovic had a hamstring tear during the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic’s hamstring injury was the talk of the Australian Open. Now, his coach Goran Ivanisevic has revealed the one opponent he feared Djokovic’s hamstring would not hold up against.

Djokovic won the Australian Open with a three centimetre tear in his hamstring according to Craig Tiley. (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP)

Australian Open boss Craig Tiley has revealed Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open while playing with a three centimetre tear in his hamstring.

Speaking on SENwith Kane Cornes and Gerard Healy, Tiley confirmed the severity of the injury that saw Djokovic wear heavy strapping throughout most of the tournament.

“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 3cm tear in his hammy,” Tiley said.

“There was a lot speculation whether this was true or not … it’s hard to believe that someone can do what they do with these type of injuries, but he’s remarkable.”

Novak Djokovic stretches him hamstring against opponent Enzo Couacaud. Picture by Michael Klein

Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic told reporters after Sunday night’s final that he was most afraid the Djokovic’s hamstring would not hold up against his third-round opponent Grigor Dimitrov.

“In the first two rounds, the opponents were easier, so we figured it was going to be okay. But Dimitrov just played in the wrong way, his coach and himself didn’t have the proper plan, the right tactics. Novak couldn’t move and Grigor played maybe two or three drop shots, I would’ve played 300! But he is our Balkan brother, so he helped,” Ivanisevic said.

Tiley hailed Djokovic’s mental toughness and preparation for being able to see him through the tournament and win his 10th Australian Open and 22nd Grand Slam title.

“To deal with he’s extremely professional, he’s so focused on everything that he does, everything single minute of the day, what he eats, what he drinks, when he does it, how he does it, there’s no mental breakdown ever in anything that he does.”

Novak Djokovic gestures as he celebrates victory in the men's singles final match against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open. (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP) –

The Aus Open boss commended Djokovic and his place in tennis history, believing we will never seen anything like the Serbian again here in Australia.

“He’s been through a lot and to win 10 Australian Opens, I don’t think that’s ever going to be repeated, to the extent that he’s done it.”

“He’ll hold a significant place in the history of the Australian Open.”

Djokovic’s victory also saw him return to the number one world ranking after Spanish young gun Carlos Alcaraz missed the tournament.