Novak Djokovic laid it all out.
The Serbian tennis star posted a scan of his injured left hamstring on social media early Sunday after being booed at the Australian Open when he stopped playing a set in his semi-final. He said in his press conference that he had a muscle tear, but faced criticism from fans on social media who questioned the severity of the injury.
Djokovic apparently let the backlash get to him, as he posted the MRI photo taken on Saturday on X to prove the skeptics wrong.
“Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury ‘experts’ out there,” he wrote.
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The veteran tennis star did not offer any additional information, such as the exact diagnosis he may have received or the timeline for his recovery.
Djokovic, 37, stopped his match against Alexander Zverev after losing the first set in a tiebreaker on Friday. After shaking hands with Zverev and the chair umpire, Djokovic gathered his equipment and began walking towards the locker room.
Some spectators at Rod Laver Arena booed him. Djokovic gave both thumbs up before leaving.
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a backhand against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during their quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
During his on-court interview, Zverev rebuked those who booed Djokovic.
“I know everyone paid for tickets and everyone wants to see a great five-set match,” Zverev said. “But you have to understand: Novak Djokovic is someone who has given this sport, over the last 20 years, absolutely everything in his life.”
Djokovic had been injured late in the first set of his previous match, a four-set victory against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night.
Djokovic finished that match with tape on his upper left leg and had a similar taping at the start against Zverev.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia gestures to the crowd during his third round match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Friday, January 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
“I did everything I could to basically control the muscle tear that I had,” Djokovic said in his news conference on Friday.
“Towards the end of the first set, I started to feel more and more pain,” he said. “I guess it was too much for me at the moment. Unfortunate ending, but I tried.”
