"Weird that Craig Tiley has turned into Novak Djokovic’s personal spokesperson" - Tennis fans vilify AO boss for claiming 3cm tear in Serb's hamstring

After Craig Tiley confirmed a three-centimeter tear in Novak Djokovic's hamstring, the tennis world has heavily criticised the Australian Open director.

The Serb made history in Melbourne on Sunday (January 29) by winning a record-extending tenth Australian Open title, a year after he was deported from the country. He beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the title clash to go level with Rafael Nadal's record of 22 Grand Slam titles and also returned to the top spot in the ATP rankings.

In a conversation with Australian radio network SEN, Tiley said that he saw Djokovic's scans and praised him for playing and winning with a 3 cm hamstring tear, which the Serb had picked up at the Adelaide International 1:

"This guy had a three-centimeter tear in his hammy. I saw the scans. The doctors are going to tell you the truth. There was a lot of speculation about whether it was true or not; it’s hard to believe that they can do what they do with those kinds of injuries. He’s remarkable, to deal with it extremely professionally."

However, fans who were not sold on the extent of the injury, opining that it's impossible for anyone to even walk with a hamstring tear, let alone play tennis. They slammed Tiley for acting like Djokovic's PR manager:

"It's almost as if Tiley is Novak's physician, psychologist, pastor, ear nose, throat and thigh specialist at this point," a fan tweeted.

"He can now interpret MRI scans. The man’s a genius. Can’t pay the poor ball kids a cent who worked in extreme heat or those that worked past 3am," a user wrote.

"That is amazing from him. With a 4 cm tear, I was on crutches for days and walked with a limp for weeks. My physio became my best friend," another tweet read.

Here are a few more reactions:

Djokovic has started a record-extending 374th week at No. 1 on Monday and is a perfect 12-0 on the season.

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97% of players would have withdrawn with an injury like Novak Djokovic's, says coach Goran Ivanisevic

Novak Djokovic during the 2023 Australian Open

Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open for a record tenth time to begin his 374th week as the World No. 1. Amidst fans questioning the seriousness of his hamstring injury, the Serb's coach Goran Ivanisevic has praised the 35-year-old for playing through the pain barrier.

Ivanisevic claimed that this win was even better than Djokovic's triumph in 2021 when he played with an abdominal tear. The former player added that others would have withdrawn on seeing the MRI scans but not Djokovic.

"I thought I saw everything in 2021 when he won here with the abdominal tear. This one was unbelievable. 97% of the players, on Saturday when you get results of the MRI, you go straight to the referee office and pull out of the tournament but not him. He is from other space. His brain is working different."

Djokovic is now 89-8 at the Australian Open, having won his last 28 matches.