Novak Djokovic has received an update on the health of his close friend and physio Miljan Amanovic, who was admitted to hospital earlier this week. The veteran Serb has made it through his first two matches at the French Open without dropping a single set. He breezed past Corentin Moutet on Thursday to set up a third-round meeting with Filip Misolic.
After stepping off the court, Djokovic revealed that Amanovic had been rushed into hospital for emergency surgery. He described it as a ‘serious situation’ and said that he was deeply concerned for his physio’s welfare. Djokovic added that while Amanovic’s condition was stable, he would need to stay in hospital to be observed for a few days.
Now, it has been reported that Amanovic will be discharged soon. He underwent sinus surgery a few weeks ago and was rushed into hospital when a complication occurred, according to Sportklub.
It is said that Amanovic suffered a severe nosebleed which ‘could not be stopped by usual means’. It required a medical intervention, which led to him being taken to hospital for expert assistance.
Djokovic will certainly be hoping for his long-time friend to make a full recovery without any further setbacks. They started working together in 2007, a year before the Serb won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
They briefly split in 2017, when Djokovic revamped his support team with long-term Marian Vajda and fitness trainer Gebhard Phil Gritsch also leaving.
Amanovic eventually returned to Djokovic’s box, but it came after he suffered a major heart attack which meant that he could no longer commit to a full-time role.
After making a full recovery, he said: “I survived a severe heart attack. I was resuscitated four times. Now I can say that it was God’s will in the true sense of the word.
“If only one link in the chain of events had not been in place that day, I would probably have left this earthly life. They say that they fought for me for 40 minutes.”
Following the Australian Open two years ago, which Djokovic won despite nursing a hamstring injury, he paid tribute to Amanovic for looking after his body during the tournament.
“Miljan is one of the closest people in my life,” he said. “He has been working a lot these days, always gives his best. I am very grateful to Miljan. It would be a lot harder without him.”