Novak Djokovic blasts injury accusations after ugly Aus Open scandal

Novak Djokovic has refused to comment on his hamstring injury at the Australian Open after holding a non-official press conference for the first time since leaving Melbourne. Djokovic announced he would answer questions after his training session, which marked the first time he would speak since Australian Open boss Craig Tiley claimed he won at Melbourne Park with a 3cm hamstring tear.

Djokovic hurt his hamstring at the Adelaide International against Daniil Medvedev ahead of the Australian Open. The Serbian played the majority of the tournament with tape around his hamstring and cancelled a number of training sessions.

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However, there was no stopping the World No.1 as he ripped through all his opponents and showed little sign of injury as he lifted a record 10th Australian Open trophy. Djokovic's dominance certainly caused questions to be asked about just how serious his injury was during the tournament.

Following the Australian Open, Tiley made the massive claim that Djokovic played with a 3cm tear. This sparked even more questions considering the severity of the injury Tiley claimed Djokovic played with.

However, after a month, Djokovic has confirmed his injury is 'good' and he is close to 100 per cent, but wouldn't go into depth about the accusations swirling around how bad his hamstring was at the time of his Australian Open win.

"I really do not have the time, energy, or will to deal with every story that appears on the internet, or what someone says about something," Djokovic told reporters. "I know what is right and what is true."

And due to his rehabilitation going well since leaving Australia, Djokovic said he would compete at the Dubai Tennis Championship starting next week. "It has healed. I am close to being 100 per cent ready," he added.

"I'm still not there but things are looking good and encouraging, so we made a decision as a team to go to Dubai."

Novak Djokovic addresses Indian Wells issue

Another major talking point Djokovic addressed was his participation at Indian Wells. Djokovic didn't play Indian Wells or the Miami Open last year due to the strict US restrictions around unvaccinated visitors entering the country. The US is set to relax the rules around unvaccinated visitors entering the country on May 11.

However, this is set to take place after Indian Wells' main draw on March 9. And tournament director, and former player, Tommy Haas has blasted the scenario surrounding Djokovic as a 'disgrace'.

However, Djokovic said he has applied for a special exemption and will be waiting to see if he can participate in the 'fifth grand slam'. "My plans after Dubai depend on the US. I'm waiting for a reply, it's not on me... I will know soon," Djokovic added.

"Everything is in process. I'm thankful to the Indian Wells and Miami communities for their support. They would like me to be able to play in their tournaments... I'm looking forward to a positive decision coming soon, but it's not in my hands."

Djokovic, who missed last year's Australian Open and was deported from the country due to his vaccine status, has said he would skip grand slams rather than have a Covid shot. "Last year, I missed Indian Wells, Miami and the US Open swing so it won't be the first time if it happens. I hope it doesn't," Djokovic said.

"That's all I can do because my position stays the same... The US Open is still far away so I hope I'll be able to be there. It's one of the four biggest events in our sport's history.

"Of course I'd love to be there. I've received the most wonderful support from the New York and American crowd during the 2021 final I lost to Daniil Medvedev. But I experienced something that I never did there before. "So I want to go back and connect with people and, hopefully, play my best tennis and get another trophy there."

with AAP

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