The drama from the Australian Open lingers even a week after its conclusion, especially around Novak Djokovic‘s quest for a record 25th Grand Slam title. His hopes were dashed by a hamstring injury that he sustained during his quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz. Despite his determination, Djokovic withdrew from the semi-final against Alexander Zverev, leading John McEnroe to suggest that the injury was merely a “routine” tactic to gain an advantage. This sparked further debate in the tennis community, with former WTA pro-Alexander Stevenson expressing her frustration with the judgment surrounding Djokovic’s condition.

During the match against Alcaraz, Djokovic took a medical timeout to address an issue with his left thigh. At that moment, McEnroe stirred the pot by implying that Djokovic’s injury was just a tactic, stating, “This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this routine [from Djokovic]. Don’t be fooled.” He even noted that he expected Djokovic to pull something like this. After returning to the court, Djokovic managed to win the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, but he was clearly struggling and limping throughout.

Speaking on the ‘Serving Aces’ podcast alongside Roman Prokes, Stevenson emphasized that playing through injury is far from easy. She said, “Why are you questioning him? He got—look, when you get the first part of a tear or the first part of a strain on the court, you have adrenaline. You can keep going. He finished at 1 AM in the morning against Carlos Alcaraz. There was just no way with that injury he was going to recover to play Zverev.” 

While Djokovic did return after the timeout and won against Alcaraz, it didn’t erase the struggle he faced. As Stevenson pointed out, “So, for people that think he faked it, they’ve obviously never played tennis and gotten injured in a match. Yeah, they’re judgy and they just like to say things.” But McEnroe himself has dealt with injuries as a seven-time Grand Slam champion and knows how tough it can be.

This was, however, not the first occasion where Djokovic was criticized for a medical time-out. Remember back in the 2015 Australian Open when he took a medical timeout while trailing Andy Murray? Murray quipped, “Don’t worry about him. He does it all the time,” before Djokovic came back to win. Even after the quarters at this year’s AO, Alcaraz commented that he didn’t know what to believe, saying, “I’m not saying, like, he made a show. I’m just saying that, I don’t know. It’s obvious and everybody saw it, that he’s struggling in the second set. Then the third and fourth set he showed he was really good.”

Djokovic’s reaction this time was different. After receiving backlash online for his withdrawal from the semi-finals, the Serb took to social media to share his MRI results showing a muscle tear. He cheekily wrote, “Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury ‘experts’ out there.” Additionally, he addressed McEnroe’s comments and crowd disapproval during his post-match press conference.

Top Comment by ronnieong888

Injury definitely a setback on any athletes

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Novak Djokovic speaks up on faking allegation and the crowd booing him

After losing to Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals, Djokovic didn’t explain much about his injury other than he was dealing with a “muscle tear.” However, the jeers from the Rod Laver Arena crowd as he exited surely stung. Being a ten-time champion on that court makes it even more significant, and Djokovic empathized with the fans’ frustration. He remarked, “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. 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.”

Interestingly, Djokovic was unaware of John McEnroe’s critical comments until the press conference. When asked about McEnroe’s remarks, he responded, “To be honest, I haven’t seen these comments, so I can’t say more. What I can say is that it’s always easier to judge and criticize than to understand. It’s a lesson I’ve learned in life.” It’s clear that while he respects the opinions of others, he also values understanding over judgment.

As of now, it’s uncertain when Djokovic will return to the court. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that the GOAT knows how to bounce back stronger than ever. Will he recover in time to chase after his 25th Grand Slam title or even his 100th career title this season?