Djokovic
(FILES) This file photo taken on February 12, 2021 shows Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacting while playing against Taylor Fritz of the US during their men's singles match on day five of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. - Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic's legal battle to stay in Australia and chase a record 21st Grand Slam opened on January 10, 2022, but public online access was delayed by a technical glitch, a court spokesman said. Image Credit: AFP

"This guy I did see, he had a three-centimetre tear in his hammy," Tiley told SEN Sportsday. "Absolutely (I saw the scans), the doctors are going to tell you the truth.

Melbourne: Novak Djokovic played with a three-centimetre (1.2 inches) tear in his hamstring during his run to a record-extending 10th Australian Open title, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Wednesday.

The Serbian, who suffered the hamstring injury en route to winning the warm-up title in Adelaide, won the season-opening major after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's final for a men's record 22nd Grand Slam title, matching Rafa Nadal's haul.

"He's remarkable, to deal with it extremely professionally." Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic said after the final that the world number one battled the injury, which would have forced most players to quit.

"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.

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"He's so focused on everything he does, with every single minute of the day," Tiley added. "That's what he eats, what he drinks, when he does it, how he does it.

"There's no breakdown or mental breakdown in anything that he does. He's been through a lot and to win 10 Australian Opens, I don't think that's ever going to be repeated... He'll hold a significant place in the history of the Australian Open."