Coach Darren Cahill believes Novak Djokovic is the golden standard of how one tennis player should look after his body. Djokovic, who will be turning 36 in May, is still very healthy and in exceptional shape. Djokovic did battle a minor hamstring injury at the start of the 2023 season but still he was able to win a record 10th Australian Open.
“I actually heard Andrea Petkovic describe Novak as being like water because you can sort of get it but you can’t really hold on to it. And I reckon that’s a really good way of describing Novak because he finds a way to get through every crack and every crevice to break down the opponent’s game and find weaknesses.
And his movement and his professionalism is second to none. I mentioned Federer before being the trailblazer for what he was able to do 15 years ago for a long period of time. But these guys [Nadal and Djokovic] have taken it to a whole new level, especially Novak.
I’ve never seen anybody look after their body and be more professional than Novak, with the lengths he goes to get his body into the place it is,” Cahill said on The Big Deal, per Sportskeeda.
Djokovic overcame a hamstring injury to win the Australian Open
In his first tournament of the season at the Adelaide International, Djokovic pulled his leg and suffered a hamstring injury.
Still, Djokovic was able to win Adelaide. Later, Djokovic went to Melbourne Park, where he won his 22nd Grand Slam title. After the Australian Open was over, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley revealed that Djokovic battled through a 3cm hamstring tear.
When Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic was asked about the injury, he said that the majority of the players would have decided to skip the Australian Open – but not Djokovic. Meanwhile, Djokovic is expected to return to action later this month in Dubai.
