Novak Djokovic is no stranger to making headlines, but this time, it wasn’t for his dominant play-it was for his unusual choice of attire during the Miami Open.
The 37-year-old Serbian tennis star, now coached by Andy Murray, was spotted wearing what appeared to be oversized blue mittens during his quarter-final match against American Sebastian Korda on Thursday. The sight of Djokovic donning what many joked looked like ‘oven gloves’ left fans puzzled.
But while social media erupted with speculation, tennis legend Martina Navratilova was quick to set the record straight. Speaking on Sky Sports Tennis, she revealed that Djokovic’s peculiar accessory is actually an advanced cooling device designed to regulate body temperature in seconds.
Novak Djokovic has his foothold back in this second set, and his hands back in these ice gloves. pic.twitter.com/qXNoWaR53d
? The Second Serve (@the2ndserve) March 27, 2025
Djokovic is always ahead of his time
“They’ve had this for years. It can lower your body temperature in like 30 seconds,”Navratilova explained. “It cools down the blood supply. I don’t know why more people haven’t been using them. Novak is ahead of everybody when it comes to technology. It’s magic, and I don’t know why tournaments don’t have them for all the players.”
Despite the mid-match spectacle, Djokovic maintained his composure on the court, securing a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) straight-sets victory over Korda. Reflecting on his performance, the 24-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged the challenge his opponent posed.
“I’m feeling very relieved that I won in straight sets, to be quite frank. The highlight of the match for sure was my first serve. I’ve been serving really well, and today was my best serving performance [of the Miami Open],” Djokovic stated.
“I was quite nervous because you never know what comes from Korda. He’s so aggressive and so talented. 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.”
The gloves which Djokovic was wearing during his semi-final are used to lower body temperature
They can be bought on Amazon for about £25/$30 pic.twitter.com/u6bxoMwOGd
? Olly Tennis (@Olly_Tennis_) March 27, 2025
Djokovic is one step away from the title in Miami
Djokovic now advances to the semi-finals, where he will take on Grigor Dimitrov on Friday. The winner of that matchup will face either third seed Taylor Fritz or rising star Jakub Mensik in the final.
Whether or not Djokovic’s ‘oven gloves’ will make another appearance remains to be seen, but one thing is certain-he’s once again at the forefront of innovation, both on and off the court.
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