Novak Djokovic Claps Back at Injury Critics with MRI Scan Following Australian Open Controversy

Novak Djokovic Claps Back at Injury Critics with MRI Scan Following Australian Open Controversy

27 days ago | 5 Views

Novak Djokovic's journey at the 2025 Australian Open came to a sudden and pretty tough halt when he had to retire during his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev. The 24-time Grand Slam champ suffered a muscle tear during the first-set tiebreaker and couldn’t go on, leaving fans at Rod Laver Arena feeling let down.

What happened next was surprising: as Djokovic left the court, he was met with boos from the crowd, stirring up some controversy in the tennis community.

In response to the backlash, Djokovic hit back at his critics with a strong message. He took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account to post a picture of his MRI scan, which clearly showed the muscle tear. He captioned it, "Thought I'd leave this here for all the sports injury 'experts' out there."

While some questioned how serious Djokovic's injury really was, tennis legend John McEnroe added to the skepticism. During the quarter-final match between Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, McEnroe remarked, "This isn't the first time we've seen this routine. Don't be fooled."

Djokovic kept his cool when asked about McEnroe's comments. "Honestly, I haven't seen what he said, so I can't really comment," Djokovic mentioned. "What I can say is that it's always easier to judge and criticize than to truly understand. That's a lesson I've picked up in life."

On the other hand, McEnroe strongly backed Djokovic after the crowd booed him following the walkover. "They can't be booing him. Come on!" he exclaimed on Channel 9. "He's won this 10 times, for crying out loud. It's unbelievable."

Alexander Zverev, who faced Djokovic, also spoke out against the crowd's behavior, asking fans to show more respect for players dealing with injuries.

"Please, folks, don’t boo a player who’s injured. I get that everyone paid for tickets and wants to see an epic match, but you have to realize: Novak Djokovic has dedicated his life to this sport for the last 20 years," Zverev said.

For Djokovic, the quest for a 25th Grand Slam title is still on hold. At 37, time is running out on his remarkable career, but the Serbian is determined to make a comeback in upcoming tournaments.

Meanwhile, Zverev is looking to clinch his first Grand Slam title as he goes up against Jannik Sinner in the final.

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