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MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic will benefit from an extra day of rest ahead of his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev as he races to recover from a leg injury.
Djokovic, 37, suffered what appeared to be a groin injury in the first set of his clash with Carlos Alcaraz, and received a medical timeout after just nine games.
Djokovic defies injury to stun Alcaraz in ‘one of the most epic matches’
Read MoreHowever, with his leg heavily strapped, the 10-time Australian Open champion produced some of his best tennis in the third and fourth sets of the match, halting Alcaraz’s bid to complete the career grand slam in three hours and 37 minutes.
But he admitted afterwards that recovery would be a “day by day” process, and that the fact his side of the draw has an extra day to prepare for the semis is a distinct advantage.
“I will try to do as much as I possibly can with my recovery team, with my physio today, tomorrow, the next few days,” said Djokovic, admitting he would not practice on Wednesday.
”I’ll see if I’m going to train in two days or not. I’ll take it day by day. Now it’s really about recovery.
“I’m concerned. I am, to be honest, physically. But if I manage somehow to be physically good enough, I think mentally, emotionally I’m as motivated as I can be.”
Scrambling to be fit for a major match or tournament is not new territory for Djokovic. In 2023, he won the Australian Open while managing a three-centimetre tear in his hamstring
And he made his run to the Wimbledon final last year just a few weeks after having surgery on a torn meniscus, sustained during the French Open.
The team around him are well used to such struggles too – all except new coach Andy Murray, although he is no stranger to injury of course.
Djokovic has worked with Gritsch (left) and Amanovic (right) for many years (Photo: Getty)Alongside Murray, Djokovic is here in Australia with two full-time physical trainers, Gebhard Gritsch and Miljan Amanovic.
Gritsch, 68, describes himself as a “high performance sports coach and consultant”, who trained in sports science and worked with Djokovic from 2009 to 2019 before rejoining his team last year. He spent the previous five years working with the Austrian Olympic team.
Amanovic is another who worked with Djokovic for the best part of a decade, before stepping back to work at the Serb’s academy and reduce his travel. But he returned for a limited number of weeks on tour two years ago and was with Djokovic when he was managing his hamstring injury in 2023.
But Djokovic might also make use of a Melbourne-based former chiropractor with whom he has worked before.
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The 37-year-old has a long-standing relationship with Malcolm Hooper, who runs the OxyMed clinic. The facility, among other things, provides hyperbaric oxygen chambers which can aid recovery in elite athletes.
Djokovic described Hooper as a dear friend in 2017 and has used his clinic dating back as far as 2016, although it is not known if he has used the services on this occasion. Hooper has regularly appeared at the Australian Open in the seats behind the Serb’s box.
Hooper also claims, according to his own Facebook page, to have worked with Djokovic in 2021, when he beat Daniil Medvedev to claim his ninth Australian Open title while also battling an abdominal tear during the tournament. He was also reportedly seen in Djokovic’s friends and family seats in 2023 and 2024.
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