Novak Djokovic eye problem sparks a social media storm at Miami Open

Novak Djokovic’s appearance sparked a social media storm ahead of his Miami Open final against Jakub Mensik, but his team were quick to play down fears of a major problem.

Djokovic was spotted practising with what appeared to be a swollen right eye, but Sky Sports Tennis sources confirmed it was not a major problem as they revealed he has a stye on the eyelid.

An eye stye, also known as a hordeolum, is a red bump on the edge of your eyelid caused by a bacterial infection of an eyelash follicle or oil gland.

It can be painful and if the swelling is serious, it can obscure vision, but Djokovic’s camp has insisted his problem should not affect him on court.

This is the latest problem Djokovic has been dealing with, as he looks to bring his weary body with him on the final laps of his remarkable career.

He was forced to pull out of the 2024 French Open and the 2025 Australian Open when he was in a position to challenge for the title and he admits the physical challenges he is facing are as big as the battles he is having on court with his rivals.

“Things are not the same as 10 years ago, 15 years ago,” he said last month. “I still try to take care of my body on a daily basis, and it’s more challenging now, no doubt. I still try to do my very best, given the circumstances.

“I am trying to improve my game, as everybody else. But my game is not going to change now drastically,” he explained.

“I’m not going to play serve and volley, maybe every once in a while, but my game is what it is, the core is going to be the same. I’m going to try to adjust depending on the surface that I play on and so forth.”

Djokovic has been more upbeat about his performance in Miami, as he suggested his partnership with former rival turned coach Andy Murray has been critical to his form in Miami.

“I’m enjoying the relationship with Andy,” said Djokovic.

“I still feel like we are going through the process of getting to know each other on the court in a different way than we have known each other for 25 years.

“So it’s obviously a new role for him. I think we had a great tournament, a great run in Australia, and I like the way I played.

“It was unfortunate to finish the tournament the way I did, but it was an injury issue.

“I think I’ve played maybe the best tennis that I played in quite some time since the Olympics actually. So I definitely [attribute] that to the work that I had with Andy.”