Novak Djokovic is being guarded about the hamstring scare he suffered at the Adelaide International, while his rivals ponder that injury currently looks like the only way of stopping the Serb's extraordinary winning streak on Australian soil.
Djokovic didn't want to go into the details of the injury that left him requiring a medical timeout in Saturday's semi-final but still didn't stop him rampaging past one of his biggest rivals, Daniil Medvedev, 6-3 6-4.
"Look, I'm not going to talk about it too much because I don't think it's appropriate. I don't want to reveal too much of what's happening," said Djokovic, in one of his more cryptic moods after he'd won his 33rd straight match in Australia, a sequence stretching back five years.
"I felt a pulling on the hamstring and I needed some medical timeout and I got one. After that when the pills kicked in, I guess, after few games when it was warm enough, it felt okay.
"Let's see how it feels when I wake up tomorrow. Obviously, playing day by day, having a little bit of an injury, it's not ideal.
"But it's not the first time that I get to experience specific circumstances like this one. I know what to do with my team, with my physio. Hopefully, it will feel good. Let's see. I don't have so much time, but I hope enough."
Djokovic has been the master of winning tournaments while apparently nursing debilitating ailments, with his Australian Open triumph two years ago being his most celebrated triumph after he'd torn an abdominal muscle during a third-round victory against Taylor Fritz.
On Sunday, he has only a short turnaround before facing Sebastian Korda, one of the game's rising stars, in the evening showdown at Memorial Drive as he homes in on a 92nd career title.
But Medvedev, having lost his ninth of 13 matches against the 35-year-old, could only walk away marvelling at Djokovic's enduring quality.
"I need to be better. That's it," shrugged the Russian, as he pondered the prospect of a Melbourne rematch.
"That's the only thing I can do because sometimes he's unstoppable. You need to play the match of your life to beat him.
"Where some other players would not be able to do it, how does he do it? No idea ... Novak is different league. 21 slams, that's all what we have to say."
It will be a big night for Korda, the 22-year-old American son of Czech 1998 Australian Open champion Petr Korda, who has never before played Djokovic.
And it turns out the Serb is a great admirer of the youngster's "beautiful" game.
"One of the players that has kind of the cleanest striking technique that you can see on the tour. I mean, he's so talented," enthused Djokovic.
"Everything seems just effortless with him. The way he plays, the way he moves on the court, just beautiful-looking tennis ..."
Before getting too carried away, Djokovic checked himself to add with a grin: "Going to try to make it ugly tomorrow!"
