Martina Navratilova, the 18-time Major singles champion, was surprised and impressed by Novak Djokovic’s gloves at the Miami Open. Djokovic was seen slipping on a large pair of blue gloves at the changeovers during his quarterfinal victory over Sebastian Korda.
There have been moments earlier in the tournament when Djokovic has appeared to toil in the Floridian heat and humidity, and after a fast start in the Korda match, he again appeared to be struggling in the second set.
At 2-5 down, Djokovic introduced the oversized mitts, rubbing them over his face and neck, which seemed to prompt the revival that saw him force a tie-break and win the match.
Martina Navratilova was watching as part of the Sky Sports punditry team, and after the match, she applauded Djokovic for his use of the available technology. The gloves, which lower the body temperature, are called Ice Gloves and are available online for less than $20. Navratilova suggested, however, that they’ve been around for some time:
“They had this technology years ago. They can lower your body temperature in, like, 30 seconds. Put the gloves on, they cool down the blood supply, and I don’t know why more people haven’t been using it, because the technology has been there for decades.”
Navratilova was full of praise for Djokovic’s initiative. The 24-time Major winner is well-known for leaving no stone unturned in his quest for perfection, and would have been concerned by his flagging energy levels in his third-round match against Lorenzo Musetti. Navratilova played before the technology existed, and referred to the gloves as magical:
“Of course, Novak is way ahead of everybody when it comes to technology. I have not used them, they didn’t have them in my day. It’s magic, and I don’t know why the tournaments don’t have it for all the players.”
Navratilova’s suggestion seems perfectly sensible. Tournament organizers in hot climes could easily make the technology available, and cheaply. The players, however, could follow the Serbian’s example and buy their own.
Despite his struggles in the Miami heat, Novak Djokovic is on course for his 100th ATP title
Novak Djokovic has 99 Tour titles to his name, the third highest in the Open Era. Only Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) are ahead of him. Now ranked No. 5 after a solid start to the new season, the tennis icon has plotted his way carefully through the rounds in Miami and is just two matches away from the landmark achievement.
In his post-match interview, he told Sky Sports that he felt ready to make history. He was happy to get the job done in straight sets, given the conditions:
“I’m feeling very relieved that I won in straight sets, to be quite frank. I was on my back foot and trying in some moments to passively wait for his error instead of trying to dictate the tempo from the baseline. Very tense match but a great performance.”
Djokovic plays Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinal. Djokovic leads their head-to-head 12-1, so he will be the hot favorite to reach the final, where either Taylor Fritz or the unseeded Jakob Mensik will be waiting for him.