‘Pain is the No.1 problem’: How foot blisters could affect Djokovic’s semi-final quest

It was the vision seen by hundreds of thousands of tennis fans, and it made disturbing viewing.

A close-up of the blister under Novak Djokovic’s right big toe. A red-raw wound that tennis and medical experts say will cause the former world No.1 ongoing pain and discomfort during his blockbuster semi-final against defending champion Jannik Sinner.

“I think it is concerning,” retired professional and Nine commentator John Millman said.

“I think if you saw him play against [Lorenzo] Musetti, something looked a little bit off. I didn’t think he was moving quite as well.

“Then it became apparent when he calls the trainer and takes off his shoe and that blister looks a bit nasty.”

Djokovic was two sets down against Musetti on Wednesday and on a fast-track out of the tournament when the Italian world No.5 retired hurt because of an abdominal issue.

It followed the Serbian’s walkover in the round-of-16 when Czech opponent Jakub Mensik also withdrew with a stomach muscle complaint.

But despite the fortunate draw, Millman said Djokovic’s blister loomed as a significant challenge.

“He has relied on his movement his whole career. He’s always been one of the best movers,” Millman said.

“If that’s impacted against a guy like Jannik Sinner, he’s in for a tough day at the office.”

Millman expected Djokovic to glue the blister shut and use painkillers to negate the pain.

“But it’s a really tricky situation, and something that’s difficult to deal with when movement is such a big part of his game,” Millman said

Australian Open tournament podiatrist Emma Poynton said blisters were caused by heat, pressure, friction and moisture – factors that she believed were more evident during last year’s tournament than this year’s Australian Open.

“Pain is the number one problem,” Poynton said. “If you’re in pain, you’re not going to play well.

“So, I guess, long term you’re trying to heal and get the foot back to healthy, but you’re also trying to reduce the pain so they’re not on court serving, going, ‘my foot hurts’.

“You don’t want them to be thinking about their foot when they’re trying to win a game of tennis.”

Poynton said treatment differed for each player, depending on time between matches, the severity of the blister and their pain tolerance.

“For example, with some other players we’ve seen in the media this week, it is a multi-layer blister that’s really deep, that almost presents like a severe burn it has gone so deep into the tissue,” she said.

Poynton said treatment could include drying out the wound, removing loose skin and dead tissue, and applying the right level of padding so as not impede the player’s on-court performance.

Severe blisters forced South Korean player Chung Hyeon to pull out of his Australian Open semi-final against Roger Federer in 2018 when he was trailing 6-1, 5-3, while Alex de Minaur called for a medical time-out to treat a blister on his right heel during his five-set, fourth-round loss to Andrey Rublev in 2024.

Respected sports doctor Peter Larkins said most elite tennis players such as Djokovic would have had blisters, particularly competing on synthetic hard court services.

“You’ll be able to put a roof or protective layer on it, but pain is still there,” Larkins said of Djokovic’s foot.

“So, I think he’ll be able to play, but it will be distracting for him. It will be more of a mental game for him because you can’t really block the pain with any particular pain relief or injections with a blister.

“You really just have to protect the skin from peeling off further, as I said, with artificial layers over the top.”

Larkins said antiseptic and alcohol would be used to treat the risk of infection.

“Just the sweating and the heat means the bugs are more likely, but the infection he can worry about when he’s won the title,” Larkins said.

Wimbledon semi-finalist and Nine commentator Todd Woodbridge said Djokovic was not the only player with lingering concerns heading into Friday’s semi-final.

“As good as Jannik Sinner looked last night [against Ben Shelton], there were times in the match where he didn’t look completely comfortable,” Woodbridge said.

“It looked like he was still recovering from what happened with the heat stuff in the earlier rounds. So I think he has some vulnerability there. I think Novak’s going to have to really take advantage of that.”

Sinner suffered severe leg cramps on Saturday when he was 3-0 down in the third set against American Eliot Spizzirri, but was able to recover and win the match when play was suspended and the Rod Laver roof closed.

“To still be in the tournament for Jannik Sinner is incredible because most people would have panicked or been in a different physical state of mind and not got through that match on Saturday,” Woodbridge said.

“I mean, Musetti is a prime example. He was not able to stay in a state of mind to hang in yesterday (against Djokovic) to see what happened at the other end of the court.

“And so that’s the difference with Sinner. He has a mentality that you rarely see in sports people.”

Read more on the Australian Open

• LIVE: Sabalenka takes on Svitolina, Pegula v Rybakina in women’s semis
• Does Djokovic deserve a statue at Melbourne Park? The arguments for and against
• Open Season: Is Ralph Lauren’s era at the Australian Open over?
• ‘Like animals in the zoo’: Players lash out at intrusive cameras

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.