Novak Djokovic dismisses injury scare ahead of Australian Open return, says niggle against Daniil Medvedev was "not too serious"
Novak Djokovic survived a hamstring scare in his left leg during his 2023 Adelaide International 1 semifinal clash against Daniil Medvedev on Saturday (January 7).
The Serb was up a break and was leading 4-2 when he felt discomfort in his hamstring while attempting a shot. He continued to play amidst the pain and held his serve to go up 5-2, but immediately left the court to receive medical assistance. The 35-year-old returned after 10 minutes and resumed play, taking the first set 6-3.
Even an injury scare couldn't stop Djokovic as he won 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 30 minutes. He extended his head-to-head lead against the Russian to 9-4, while registering his 33rd consecutive win in Australia.
After the match, the World No. 5 revealed that the hamstring issue was not a serious one as a medical timeout and anti-inflammatories helped him.
"Thankfully, it was nothing too serious. If it was, I wouldn’t be able to continue, so I just tried with a medical timeout, some anti-inflammatories, and kind of settled in after a few games," Djokovic said. "The longer the match went, the more my hamstring was warmer and bothering me less, so hopefully, for tomorrow it will be all fine."
The Serb refrained from giving too much importance to the hamstring issue in the media as he felt it was inappropriate.
"I'm not going to talk about it [injury] too much because I don't think it's appropriate. I felt a pull on the hamstring, I needed a medical timeout and I got one. When the pills kicked in, after a few games when it was warm enough, I felt okay," Djokovic stated.
He further suggested that there was nothing to worry about, assuring that his team would take care of him ahead of the final on Sunday (January 8).
"Let's see how it feels when I wake up tomorrow. I know what to do with my team, with my physio. Hopefully, it will feel good. I don't have so much time, but I hope it's enough," he added.
Novak Djokovic to face Sebastian Korda in Adelaide 1 final
Yet to lose a set in the ongoing Adelaide International 1, Novak Djokovic has reached the finals, where he will square off against 33rd-ranked Sebastian Korda of the United States. This will be the first meeting between the two players.
In a press conference after the semifinals, the Serb praised Korda and tipped him to break into the top 10 soon.
"One of the players that has kind of the cleanest striking technique on the tour. He's so talented. The way he plays, the way he moves on the court, just beautiful-looking tennis," Novak said.
He's one of the players in the new generation that is coming up, one of the contenders for the top spots in the world. I'm sure it's just a matter of time when he's going to break through top 10," he added.