A world-renowned sports activities doctor has dispelled theories that Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic’s hamstring damage is a sham, saying he might have performed by a particular sort of tear.
Former Cricket Australia, Socceroos and Liverpool crew physician Peter Brukner stated the Serbian star, who re-assumed the world no.1 rating after his grand slam win, may need been in a position to handle a peripheral hamstring tear all through the event.
Australian Open boss Craig Tiley instructed SEN on Wednesday the 35-year-old had gained the lads’s singles title with a 3cm tear in his hamstring.
Djokovic took the courtroom within the closing with out strapping on his hamstring after his leg was closely taped within the earlier rounds, saying he had gone “through hell” together with his rehabilitation work over the fortnight.
“I don’t feel like I need to prove anything to anyone. It did affect me, especially in the first week,” he stated.
“From the fourth round onwards, I felt like it was behind me … it actually helped my tennis a lot because I felt like I could run free. I was not thinking about it.”
Despite the claims being met with scepticism from Australian tennis followers, Dr Brukner instructed RSN’s Breakfast with Harf program on Thursday the damage “probably can” be true.
“There are different types of hamstring tears – without going into great detail, your standard one is a tear in the middle of the hamstring; you stop as if you’re shot. That’s a three to four week sort of hamstring,” he stated.
“There is another type that’s a tear on the periphery of the muscle; we call a myofascial tear. We sort of consider that maybe a 10 to 14 day sort of injury. I presume that’s the type of injury that Djokovic had.
“By my calculation there were exactly 10 days from the time he did it until his first game in the Aus Open on the Tuesday.”
Djokovic’s relentless preparation might have made it doable for him to shake off his damage considerations regardless of enjoying sore early within the event, Dr Brukner stated.
“He’s the sort of guy who does everything right – what he eats, what he drinks, his rehab. He would’ve done absolutely everything to get himself right. He didn’t really go 100 per cent in those first couple of games, at least until he got to the Medvedev game,” he stated.
“By the second week, it probably would’ve been pretty much healed, so it is feasible … but he would’ve been touch and go all along.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
