Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open with a tear in his hamstring, according to tournament director Craig Tiley.
The Serbian struggled with his fitness throughout the two weeks at Melbourne Park before winning his 10th title at the event and his 22nd Grand Slam major with victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
With the severity of Djokovic's injury much-debated throughout the tournament, Tiley revealed the world No.1 had a 3cm tear in his left hamstring.
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"I think a lot of the challenges around Novak is he gets a bad rap but at the end of the day, I don’t think anyone can question his athleticism," Tiley said on SEN.
"This guy, I did see he had a three centimetre tear in his hammy. He had a tear (in 2021) in his stomach."
When asked if he had seen Djokovic's hamstring can, Tiley replied affirmatively: "Absolutely.
"The doctors are going to tell you the truth.
"I think there was a lot of speculation on whether it was true or not.
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"It’s hard to believe that someone can do what they do with those types of injuries, but he’s remarkable."
Djokovic played some extraordinary tennis on his way to the Australian Open title, defeating the likes of Andrey Rublev, Tommy Paul, Grigor Dimitrov and Alex de Minaur, before eclipsing Tsitsipas in straight sets in the final.
Who has won the most Grand Slam titles?
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Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Margaret Court currently hold the record for most Grand Slam titles in their respective singles fields.
Nadal became the sole holder of the men's singles record after edging past Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic with his 2022 Australian Open triumph. He then extended his lead at the French Open, before Djokovic pulled back within one at Wimbledon.
Djokovic's triumph in the 2023 Australian Open final where he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas saw him draw level with Nadal at the top of the men's standings.
Swiss icon Federer will not have the chance to add to his Grand Slam haul after announcing his retirement following the Laver Cup in September 2022.
Court, meanwhile, looked set to be caught by Serena Williams but the American failed to win any of her last four Grand Slam finals and like Federer, recently retired from the sport.
Most Grand Slam titles won by a player in men's singles
| Player | Grand Slam titles |
|---|---|
| Rafael Nadal | 22 |
| Novak Djokovic | 22 |
| Roger Federer | 20 |
| Pete Sampras | 14 |
| Roy Emerson | 12 |
| Rod Laver | 11 |
| Bjorn Borg | 11 |
| Bill Tilden | 10 |
| Jimmy Connors | 8 |
| Fred Perry | 8 |
| Andre Agassi | 8 |
| Ivan Lendl | 8 |
| Ken Rosewall | 8 |
