“How long can that body take that kind of pounding?” That’s the question on everyone’s mind when watching Novak Djokovic unleash his sheer grit and precision on the tennis court. At 37, the Serbian maestro is still playing like a man half his age, qualifying for yet another Australian Open semi-final. But this time, it seems even Djokovic’s iron couldn’t outrun the toll. Despite showcasing his A-game and defying age like a legend, Djokovic’s campaign came to a sudden halt, leaving fans stunned. And now, the 23-time Grand Slam champion has broken his silence, sharing some concerning health updates that have tennis fans worldwide holding their breath.

The Serbian tennis sensation faced Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals on Thursday and was seen grappling with some physical issues. However, he managed to persevere and decided to appear in the semi-finals against Alexander Zverev. But his challenges tested him immensely and Nole dropped the first set of the match 7-6(5). He suffered a muscle tear during the match that aggravated his problems. Soon, he decided to not put any more toll on himself and withdrew from the match handing it over to the German star. While this raised a lot of concerns, Djokovic himself opened up about what his future might look like given the injury woes he is facing. 

Speaking in the Serbian portion of his post-match interview, Djokovic said, “This is probably the new reality I have to accept—that my body will probably betray me more often than it has throughout my entire career.” Interestingly, this was not the first time in recent times when the Serb had to withdraw from a Grand Slam despite being in a dominant shape. He followed a similar suit during the French Open last year where he tore the medial meniscus of his right knee. The Serb had to withdraw even then despite advancing to the quarterfinals. Hence, he is unsure about how his future might appear. 

“How much I’ll be able to put up with that and endure that, I honestly don’t know now. Let’s see what happens this season. Here in Melbourne, it could have been better, but it could have been worse. I’m still a bit hot-headed, but there are certainly a lot of positives to take away from this tournament,” Djokovic said in the interview. Notably, this was one of the major reasons that once impacted even the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. 

For the unversed, Nadal faced immensely due to his knee and wrists which impacted his longevity. Later, he also faced a hip injury which required an operation, ultimately prompting the Spanish legend to mull his retirement. He also noticed a drop in his playing levels and was surprisingly ousted in the first round of Roland Garros last year, an arena where he excelled the most with 14 titles. The situation was no different for the Swiss Maestro. 

Federer faced most of the challenges due to his knees. Having injured his knee in 2016, Federer had to undergo surgery where the meniscus was “trimmed.” Eventually, he failed to return to his dominant self and bid adieu to the sport in 2022. Now, with Djokovic facing similar challenges, he might end up suffering a similar exit from the tour. 

However, Novak Djokovic’s injury has not made him any less harsher. The Serb is leaving no opportunities to hit back at his haters who doubted his injury and criticized him at the Australian Open. 

Novak Djokovic shares latest injury update with a sharp dig at naysayers

When Novak Djokovic suffered challenges on the courts during his match against Alcaraz, John McEnroe turned heads with a bold statement. “This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this routine. Don’t be fooled,” the former pro said. The trend continued on Friday as well. As Djokovic decided to hand over the match to Zverev, he was heavily booed by the audience from the stands which surprised the tennis world. Now, the Serb has come out to slam the critics. 

Taking to his X account, Djokovic shared an X-ray report showing a muscle tear. Captioning the post, he wrote, “Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury “experts” out there.” Notably, he also expressed his surprise over the reactions that came from the fans after the match. Expressing his disappointment, he said, “I don’t know what to say… people have come, they paid for the tickets expecting a great match and a big fight, which they didn’t get,” he said. “From that perspective, I can understand. I am doing my best to understand them, but I am not sure whether they understand me or if they even want to understand me.” 

Now, as the season progresses, it will be interesting to see if Djokovic can overcome the challenges soon. Can he accomplish his dream of winning the 25th Grand Slam this year? That remains to be seen.