"I drank all the painkillers in the world and did every possible therapy and treatment" - Novak Djokovic on 2021 Australian Open injury

Novak Djokovic said that he drank all the painkillers in the world and did every possible therapy and treatment to recover from the injury he suffered against Taylor Fritz at last year's Australian Open.

The Serb won the first two sets of his third-round match against the American but felt some pain during the third. Fritz got back into the match and forced it into a fifth set. However, Djokovic managed to win it 6-2 and seal the victory. He eventually went on to win the tournament by beating Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

Djokovic spoke in detail about the injury he suffered during the match against Fritz while speaking about Rafael Nadal's injury, which he also sustained while facing the American. The Serb said that he ruptured a muscle on the left side and that it was extremely difficult to play with that.

"I don't know exactly what kind of injury he (Nadal) has," Djokovic told Serbian reporters. "From what I've heard, it's a torn stomach muscle - but I don't know which one. I experienced a rupture of a muscle on the left side, which ruptured in the third round against Fritz. I wrote down everything that happened to me at the time, and if your question was aimed at the fact that some people did not believe that it was possible to play with such an injury - I can say that it is terribly difficult.

Djokovic said that he drank all the painkillers in the world and went through every possible therapy and treatment. He also said that all of this has been recorded in a documentary that will be broadcast at the end of the year.

"I drank all the painkillers in the world and did every possible therapy and treatment," Djokovic added. "I was on machines, devices and I noted and recorded all of that in a documentary that will be broadcast by the end of the year. Well, let people watch it and then they will be able to convince themselves of one or the other".

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"Interesting, his radical fan base said djoker never took any painkillers" - Tennis fans react to Novak Djokovic taking painkillers during last year's Australian Open

Novak Djokovic receiving medical treatment at the Australian Open.

A few fans responded to Novak Djokovic's statements regarding taking painkillers, with one saying his fans won't like his statements.

"Ohh, his fans won't like that. Unless they choose to ignore it as they tend to do with facts they don't like," one fan wrote.

Novak Djokovic will be eyeing his seventh Wimbledon title when he takes on Nick Kyrgios in the final on Sunday.