Novak Djokovic continues his search for a record 25th Grand Slam title after losing his Australian Open semi-final to Alexander Zverev.
Zverev was told to set the pace against Djokovic, with the ATP number two doing exactly that by taking the first set 7-6 (7-5).
But that is when the Serbian retired hurt from the semi-final match at Rod Laver Arena, with Djokovic bood by the Australian Open crowd after the tie ended early.
Djokovic couldn’t carry on due to a muscular injury in his upper left leg, an issue that he was also suffering from in his quarter-final meeting with Carlos Alcaraz.
The 37-year-old took a medical timeout against the Spaniard and taped his leg, but former world number one John McEnroe was unconvinced Djokovic was injured.
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The 10-time Australian Open champion has now reacted to that McEnroe verdict, having been asked for his thoughts in his Serbian press conference after his semi-final exit.
“To be honest, I haven’t seen these comments, so I can’t say more,” responded the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
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“What I can say is that it’s always easier to judge and criticise than to understand. It’s a lesson I’ve learned in life.”
Novak Djokovic confirms muscle tear after Australian Open loss to Alexander Zverev
Undoubtedly linked to several years of playing at such a high level, Djokovic has followed the likes of Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal in experiencing injury issues in his latter years.
Both Murray and Nadal recently retired after lengthy injury battles, with their fellow legend having had his fair share of injuries in recent times.
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He underwent knee surgery early last year, but admittedly did recover remarkably to win the Olympic gold medal shortly afterwards.
Djokovic revealed that his latest issue is similar to the hamstring problem he had at the 2023 Australian Open, although he also managed to clinch the top prize in Melbourne. that year.
Reminded of that injury in his latest post-match press conference, he was asked if he has had a scan this time around.
“Yeah, I mean, look, it’s a muscle tear,” said Djokovic. “Two years ago, you know, I have managed it better.
“On the court it didn’t bother me as much. This time that wasn’t the case. So in these kind of instances I guess have you to try to do as much as you possibly can in the shortest amount of time, and that was the case.
“Yeah, I had an extra day, so two days no match. So I thought it’s going to be good enough maybe. But yeah, that wasn’t the case, unfortunately.”
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