Australian Open director: Novak Djokovic’s hamstring had 3-cm tear Top seeds Alcaraz, Norrie advance to semis at Argentina Open Thiem, Schwartzman beaten at Argentina Open

MELBOURNE, Australia. Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said Novak Djokovic played at the Grand Slam with a left hamstring tear of 3 centimeters – just over an inch – en route to winning the championship.

“He has a bad reputation, but in the end I don’t think anyone can question his athleticism. This guy I saw had a 3cm hole in his thigh,” Tylee said in an interview.

“Doctors… will tell you the truth,” Tiley said. “I think there has been a lot of speculation about whether this is true or not. It’s hard to believe that anyone can do what they do with injuries like this. But he’s wonderful.”

Djokovic won the trophy at Melbourne Park by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to capture a record 10th title there and a record 22nd Grand Slam trophy overall. Rafael Nadal is the only person to have won so many major tournaments.

The triumph also saw Djokovic return to first place in the ATP rankings.

The 35-year-old Serbian player injured his hamstring during a preparatory tournament in Adelaide ahead of the Australian Open. He had a heavy bandage on his left thigh and was visited by coaches during the first week’s matches in Melbourne.

He said he took “a lot” of painkillers and did various procedures to help his leg.

“I’ll put it this way: I’m not saying 100%, but 97% of the players, when you get the MRI results, you immediately go to the referee’s office and drop out of the tournament,” Djokovic’s coach Goran. Ivanisevic said after the final. “But not him. … His brain works differently.”

Buenos Aires, Argentina. The top two seeds advanced to the semi-finals at the Argentine Open on Friday.

First-place and runner-up Carlos Alcaras beat Dušan Lajović of Serbia 6-4, 6-2 on clay court. The Spaniard struggled in the first set and achieved victory in the second thanks to several winners.

“My second match of the year, I’m happy and looking forward to the next ones,” said Alcaraz.

19-year-old Alcaraz will face the winner of the match between Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo and Spain’s Bernabé Zapata Miralles.

Second placed Cameron Norrie of Great Britain advanced to the semi-finals by beating local favorite Thomas Martin Etcheverry 5–7, 6–0, 6–3. He will take on Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru, who eliminated third seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-4.

BUENOS AIRES — Dominic Thiem and Diego Schwartzman are out of Argentina.

Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion who is trying to regain his form after falling to 99th in the rankings, lost to Juan Pablo Varillas 6-4, 6-4.

Schwartzman, the local favorite, lost to Bernaba Zapata Miralles 6-1, 6-3.

In the quarterfinals, Miralles will face fellow Argentinean Francisco Cerundolo. Cerundolo defeated Jaume Munara with a score of 6:2, 6:1.

Lorenzo Musetti, who finished third, beat Pedro Cachin 6:2, 6:3 and will face Varillas next.

In the other quarter-finals, first and second placed Carlos Alcaraz will face Dusan Lajovic, while Cameron Norrie, placed second, will face Thomas Martin Etcheverri.