Chris Fowler, tennis insider for EPSN, says it will be a few months before Novak Djokovic is back on the Tour.
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The MRI scan made public by the Serbian champion, after his withdrawal from the 2025 Australian Open in the semifinal against Alexander Zverev, has now gone viral.
The choice has caused a lot of discussion among fans - many people in the stands of the Rod Laver Arena instinctively booed the withdrawal of the 24-time Grand Slam champion - but there was an absolutely indisputable truth linked to the player's precarious physical condition.
The photo was analyzed by a journalist, who made a hypothesis on the recovery times of the Belgrade native.
"It's not a joke, it's a pretty deep tear. It's deep in the hamstring, and it's a problem because it's a big muscle," Fowler explained, analyzing the image shared by the athlete on X.
"It's deep in there, it's hard to treat properly. The hamstring doesn't have a lot of blood flow, so it's harder to treat than other muscles. You can't rush it, you have to be very sure before you go back out there. Typically, if you look at injuries like this in sports, you're stuck in the sidelines for a couple of months," he added.
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The journalist took it for granted that Djokovic will miss the Sunshine Double in March (Indian Wells and Miami). Presumably, the 24-time Grand Slam winner should return to the clay-court season in April but it's not possible to estimate when right now. The French Open does not appear to be in jeopardy at the moment - according to Fowler - and John McEnroe himself confirmed this, saying: "He said he's only interested in the Majors. Who can blame him at this point?"
