Alcaraz coach finds it hard to believe with Djokovic's injury

"I'm not saying Djokovic is a liar, I just think it's hard to be like him," Ferrero said in an interview with Spanish radio station RTVE on February 23. According to Carlos Alcaraz's teacher, he had the same injury as Djokovic and was almost unable to play.

"It's very difficult to move when you have a hamstring tear, especially moving as flexible as Djokovic," added Ferrero. "If Djokovic can handle brutal pain, that's good for him and the win is worth it."

Djokovic is said to have torn 3 cm hamstring during the Australian Open - Grand Slam that Nole lost only one set on the way to the championship. Tournament CEO Craig Tiley said last month he had seen Djokovic's scan and confirmed the 35-year-old had a torn hamstring.

Djokovic on February 22 held a press conference in Belgrade to confirm that he had just received treatment for a hamstring tear and had made an almost complete recovery. He believes that he is always suspected of being a liar when injured, while other players are sympathetic. Nole then flew to Dubai for the ATP 500 tournament starting next week.

Djokovic could lose his world number one position to Alcaraz if he doesn't play well in Dubai. The gap between the two players is 590 points, when the Spaniard defends the Rio Open title this week and will appear at the Mexican Open next week.

Ferrero believes that students should follow the example of "Big 3" players. He said: "Alcaraz has let a few things off the court affect him during his recovery from injury. He has to look to Djokovic, Nadal and Federer to strive for. has a huge collection".