Novak Djokovic had a tough time in Melbourne this year. Previously we saw he had to deal with a “drunk” heckler during his match against Tomas Machac. Then after that, we saw him receiving a few boos when he decided to snub the traditional on-court interview following his fourth-round match against Jiri Lehecka. Not only that, but even his medical timeout at 4-5 in the first set during his QF match against Carlos Alcaraz stirred a massive uproar in the tennis world. We say tennis legends like John McEnroe taking a jibe at the Serb following the same and now a few days later, Novak Djokovic has finally opened up on McEnroe’s comment on his MTO.
Novak Djokovic has been time and again heavily criticized for taking medical timeouts whenever he’s put under some real pressure by his opponents. There have been several instances when we have seen commentators and even his peers alleging that he takes them to regain momentum while trailing in sets during his matches. For example, during the 2006 Davis Cup World Group playoffs, we saw Roger Federer taking a jibe at the Serb.
He said, “I don’t trust his injuries. I’m serious. I think he’s a joke, you know when it comes down to his injuries.” Even, before their QF encounter at the 2008 US Open, Andy Roddick mocked Novak Djokovic on the same issue. Djokovic’s current coach, Andy Murray has even been a victim of Djokovic bizarre ‘tactics’. During the 2015 AO final, Novak Djokovic took a medical timeout before defeating Murray in a four-set thriller. After that match, the Brit was heard complaining about Djokovic by saying he “takes them all the time.“ Not only them, but even John Alexander had once claimed Djokovic strategically uses MTOs to break the concentration of opponents.
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Now, recently after seeing a similar thing in his match against Carlos Alcaraz, John McEnroe raised a conspiracy theory about Novak Djokovic‘s injury woes. During his commentary, he was heard saying, “This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this routine. Don’t be fooled.” His brother, Patrick McEnroe was also commentating in that match and he asked him, “Did you see this coming?” In reply to that, John McEnroe said, “Yes.” Now, recently following his unfortunate ending to his 2025 AO campaign due to a forced retirement in his SF match against Alexander Zverev, he appeared at the post-match press conference.
During the press conference, Novak Djokovic was asked to make a comment on McEnroe’s remarks towards him. In reply to that he said, “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.“
via Imago Tennis: Australian Open Jan 15, 2025 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Novak Djokovic of Serbia gestures during his match against Jaime Faria of Portugal in the second round of the men s singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Melbourne Melbourne Park Victoria Australia, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMikexFreyx 20250114_lbm_zg6_660
Novak Djokovic didn’t give a clarification about his injury after that match. However, this time he confirmed it was the “muscle tear” that brought an end to his hopes of clinching the 11th AO title in 2025. However, did the criticisms stop? Well, Novak Djokovic faced a lot of boos and jeers from the Aussie crowd when he was leaving the court after the match. What does he have to say about that, though?
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“Not sure whether they understand me” – Novak Djokovic’s reaction to the boos from the crowd
Novak Djokovic’s wish to put another feather to his cap was shattered on Friday. He failed to get one step closer to his 25th Grand Slam title. Djokovic was seen struggling a bit with the Melbourne heat and his injury added more ‘salt to his wounds’! However, seeing him getting booed by the Aussie crowd after this match, Alexander Zverev couldn’t stop himself from sharing a few words with the fans inside the Rod Laver Arena.
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He said, “The very first thing I want to say is please don’t boo when a player is injured. I know everyone paid for tickets but Novak Djokovic is someone who has given everything to the sport. He has won this title with an abdominal injury, he has won this title with a hamstring injury. If he cannot continue a tennis match, he really cannot continue a tennis match.” Even tennis bigwigs like Brad Gilbert and John Millman were spotted heavily criticizing the Aussie crowd for their behavior towards the 10-time champion.
What did Novak Djokovic say on this, though? During the press conference, he addressed this issue by saying, “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.” With Djokovic’s withdrawal from the match, Zverev has now moved into another Grand Slam Final in his career. Previously, he failed to make it count twice, but can he change his fortunes in 2025?