Novak Djokovic claimed a ninth Australian Open title a year ago, battling seven opponents and an abdominal injury to extend his reign in Melbourne. Novak secured the 18th Major title at Melbourne Park, taking two from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and matching them for the rest of the season.
Djokovic defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in the title clash in one hour and 53 minutes, controlling the score in sets two and three to put the youngster behind and lift the trophy. Novak’s chances of winning another Major crown at his favorite dwindled after an abdominal injury against Taylor Fritz in the third round.
Winning the first two sets, Novak slid on the paint of the Melbourne sign early in the third and injured his stomach muscle. The Serb was in enormous pain and lost sets three and four before rallying in the decider to escape and stay in contention.
Not sure if he would play the next game against Milos Raonic because he couldn’t practice, Novak raised questions about his campaign and drew media attention. Not at his best, Djokovic defeated Raonic in four sets to earn another victory, playing at a high level in sets three and four and gathering much comment on the nature of his injury.
Unhappy with the treatment, Novak refused to talk about his injury from then on, doing his best to recover and beating Alexander Zverev, Aslan Karatsev and Daniil Medvedev to extend his reign in Melbourne. The Serb stayed away from the pitch for nearly two months, skipping Indian Wells and Miami and returning to action in Monte Carlo in April.
“It’s bigger than it was when I had my first MRI after the third round.
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Novak Djokovic’s experience of war in Serbia as a 12-year-old changed his life in many ways. “That’s one of the most traumatic experiences and images that I had in my childhood and has stayed with me to this day,” Djokovic said.
“It was us crying because of the bombs and because mom is not reacting, and my dad was there like, ‘What is happening?’ Luckily my dad manages to help my mom back to her normal self as much as she could and we collect our stuff quickly, take the necessities and go out,” the Serbian said.
“My dad was carrying my brothers and my mom was running with stuff and I slipped and I fell. As I turned around, I looked over the building, and I see these stealth planes just flying and dropping things, and the ground is shaking,” he said.
