Djokovic’s Eye Injury May Have Cost Him Miami Title, Says Becker
Novak Djokovic’s swollen eye might have played a bigger role in his Miami Open final loss than fans realized.
The tennis legend fell short against 19-year-old Jakub Mensik in a tight 7-6, 7-6 defeat that denied him his 100th career title.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| rs Novak Djokovic | 37 | 8,360 | 18 - 6 |
What many viewers didn’t know? Djokovic wears contact lenses during matches.
Boris Becker, Djokovic’s former coach, highlighted this crucial detail on his podcast with Andrea Petkovic.
“Just a word on Novak. Not only does he have the best vision, but he also needs both eyes, not just one,” Becker explained. “That’s why he wears glasses. He wears a contact lens. He probably couldn’t see anything out of one eye. That makes returning more difficult, especially against a top player like Mensik, but credit where credit is due.”
The eye problem appeared suddenly before the final, with no issues reported in earlier rounds.
Petkovic wondered if Djokovic could even insert his contact lens given the severe swelling.
“I’d love to know if he even managed to put his contact lens in. His eye was so insanely swollen,” she said. “For those that didn’t see, it wasn’t like a little stye or something. His eye was seriously swollen. I think it’s a good point because maybe he just couldn’t get the lens in and literally couldn’t see out of that eye.”
This vision impairment would be particularly problematic for Djokovic, who’s widely considered the best returner in tennis history.
It’s not the first time the 37-year-old Serbian has battled through physical challenges. He’s famously won two Australian Open titles while dealing with injuries.
Could the result have been different with two good eyes? We’ll never know for sure. Mensik played at an incredibly high level throughout both sets, serving brilliantly in a match that saw only two service breaks.
Djokovic now turns his attention to the clay court season, starting with next week’s Monte-Carlo Masters.
Interestingly, Monte-Carlo has been Djokovic’s least successful Masters 1000 tournament. He’s only won it twice (2013 and 2015) – the only Masters event where he hasn’t claimed at least three titles.
Former French Open champion Mats Wilander recently warned that Djokovic might struggle during the upcoming clay court swing. However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion reached the semifinals in Monte-Carlo last year – his best result there since winning in 2015.
Can Djokovic bounce back from his Miami disappointment? With his eye hopefully healed and his legendary determination intact, you wouldn’t bet against him.
