Novak Djokovic set to reveal Australian Open ordeal in upcoming documentary

Novak Djokovic’s coach has hit out at ‘nobody’ players that doubted his injury at this year’s Australian Open and warned that the truth will shock a lot of people.

Picture: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Novak Djokovic plans to reveal all about his life in an upcoming documentary that will also detail the truth about his victory at the Australian Open with a 3cm tear in his hamstring.

Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic said the 22-times grand slam champion defied expert medical opinion to win the Australian Open last January and hit out at the rival players and experts who mocked or questioned his injury.

“As far as I know, there is going to be a documentary about his journey, injuries and everything, so perhaps he will publish it there,” Ivanisevic told website tennismajors.com

“At the end of the day, it’s his business, nobody else’s. Everybody deals differently with the injuries and with the comments in the media.

“What I find incredible is some no-name players making comments, instead of just staying silent and being happy that they got to win a few games against him.”

Novak Djokovic in action during the Australian Open final. Picture: Michael Klein

In the most in-depth interview Ivanisevic has granted since the Australian Open triumph, he revealed Djokovic spent “five to six hours” every day getting treatment on his leg and was told by the same doctor who thought he couldn’t play on with an abdominal tear in 2021 that it was “impossible” to keep playing with his torn hamstring.

“I really thought that I’d seen it all in 2021, when he won the Australian Open with an abdominal tear, but this time he managed to surpass himself and not only my expectations, but the doctors’ as well,” he said.

“He just proved once again how great he is, by winning a Slam title without properly practising.

“Everything is documented – MRI scans, doctor’s and radiologist’s opinions etc. He doesn’t want to do it now, but Novak said that he will come out with those publicly at some point.

“Anything is possible in life. As I said, I thought that it was impossible in 2021 too, but he did it. The same doctor he consulted with at that time told us this year that this is impossible, and that she hadn’t seen anything like that in her life. Some people deal with pain better, some worse.

Djokovic stretches his injured left hamstring before a match. Picture: Michael Klein

“In matches, you saw that he didn’t chase many balls, but he still managed to win the title by playing a perfected aggressive brand of tennis – I don’t remember ever seeing him play so aggressively in a Slam.

“We can’t stop people from saying one thing and the other, let everyone think what they want, but I find it hilarious when someone says: “Oh, he faked (the injury) during the match”. Sure, the best player in the world needs to fake an injury to win against a player who would maybe take a few games off of him. He would win either way.

“People will always talk about this and that, what’s important is that Novak lifted the trophy.”

With Djokovic and Rafael Nadal currently tied with 22 grand slam titles each, a showdown is looming at the French Open in May that could ultimately decide in the eyes of many which player is the greatest from this golden generation.

The Serbian also created history recently by setting a new record for the most weeks ranked as world No. 1 when he registered 379 weeks at the top of the rankings.

Ivanisevic believes Djokovic can stay at the top for another four years but accepts while his records may never be broken there will be some who never view him as the GOAT (Greatest of all time).

“When you consider the injuries and all the sh.t Novak and Rafa went through, it is astonishing what they have been able to do, and it’s still them running the show at the Majors,” he said.

“It’s difficult to say that their records will never be broken, but I really can’t imagine how that can happen … Particularly Novak’s record of most weeks at No 1. If someone in the past was telling us to imagine these numbers, we would think it was some kind of joke.

“I feel that the G.O.A.T. question will always remain open as it depends on personal preference.

“Personally, I will remember him as the greatest player of all time and a man who broke all the limits.

“Sometimes I watch him and I don’t think it’s possible what he is doing – while I’m watching him do it. And he not only does it again, but does it even better. He will be remembered as a great fighter who proved that anything is possible.”

Originally published as Novak Djokovic set to reveal Australian Open ordeal in upcoming documentary