The No.1 world had raised doubts about further participation in the tournament at the time, claiming it had torn a muscle. Interestingly, he went from strength to strength after the five-set affair, even admitting to playing painlessly. However, he refused to stay injured.
“It’s tears, muscle tears of the abdominal oblique muscle. I was immediately felt in the third round,” Djokovic clarified after grabbing his 18th major title. “I know there’s been a lot of profiteering, people questioning if I’ve been hurt, how I got over it so quickly. Everyone deserves their opinion, but, at times, it was it’s a bit unfair. ”
World No.2 Rafael Nadal among those who figured out how serious Serb’s injury was. While his quarterfinal opponent, a German Alexander Zverev, they did not think Djokovic was struggling in their game.
Djokovic kept details – about his road to recovery last week – close to his tee, saying he would appear in the documentary that comes out at the end of the year.
Djokovic noted that in the last week he directed his thoughts and energy to recovery rather than dwell on what was being said about him.
“Sometimes it’s very hard to avoid. It comes across here and there, when you watch a game, a commentary, someone mentions it. It’s not good to hear it. It is also unfair that some people criticize without scrutiny, “he said. “Look, at the end of the day, everyone at the stage has a right to say what they want. Whether I’m going to respond or not, that way I’m going to respond, winning the prize is my answer. ”
Djokovic tied Roger Federer’s 310-week record as No.1 on March 1, and surpassed Switzerland with his 311th week on March 8.