20 January,2017 08:25 AM IST | | AFP
Denis Istomin is coached by his mother and wears spectacles for eyesight problems
Denis Istomin
Denis Istomin
Melbourne: Denis Istomin is coached by his mother and wears spectacles for eyesight problems. But after his sensational dethroning of Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, the unlikely hero could finally become a star, at least in his homeland of Uzbekistan.
"It means so much for me to beat the World No. 2," said the 30-year-old. "I just hope that it is not only one win I'm trying to keep going the same way and trying to win some more."
Istomin spent three months in hospital and was out of tennis for two years after breaking his leg so badly in a 2001 car accident that doctors doubted he would ever play competitive tennis again. But with the coaching of his mother Klaudiya Istomina.
"When your family is part of your team, it's great. I was lucky that my mother is coaching me," he said.
"The other good thing is that I don't need to pay the coach extra, you know," Istomin added.
