Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach has called into question the legitimacy of Novak Djokovic’s hamstring injury.
The Serbian was forced to retire mid-way through his Australian Open semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev last Friday due to the injury.
Djokovic battled through the pain barrier in his gruelling four-set quarter-final match with Carlos Alcaraz after suffering the set-back early on.
But the injury proved too much for the 37-year-old who could no longer continue after losing the opening set to Zverev.
The decision was much to the dismay and disappointment of the crowd in Melbourne which saw some direct jeers at the 24-time Grand Slam winner.
In a newspaper column for Spanish outlet El Pais, Nadal’s former coach Toni said that whilst Djokovic deserved more respect than he received from the spectators, his injury ‘fostered suspicion.’
“I personally feel that he deserves respect at the difficult moment, without a doubt, of having to leave the court that has seen him win so many times,” the former tennis coach wrote.
“I understand that the public showed their disappointment and anger at being deprived of the spectacle they had been waiting for after having paid for it. But the second reason, and probably the most important, is that over the years, a certain suspicion has been fostered around Novak, due to his grimaces or histrionics, which has sown doubts about the veracity of his injuries.
“On this occasion, suspicions began to arise in his quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz. After losing the first set and with obvious signs of pain, the Serbian gave his opponent and the public in general to understand that he would hardly be able to continue his match. But the reality was that not only did he face the rest of the match with total normality, but he ended up winning it.”
Djokovic missed two days of practice in the lead up to the semi-final in the hope of giving himself the best opportunity of overcoming the German.
And despite sporting a heavily taped left leg, Toni claims that Djokovic did not display any signs of pain in the first set against Zverev.
“On more than one occasion we have seen Novak with similar performances, with facial gestures and body language that contradict what we are seeing on the court and that cast doubt on the authenticity of his problems.”
Touching on about the tough treatment dished out from the Australian public, the Spaniard wrote: “I can imagine how hard it must have been for him to have to accept such an adverse reaction from the public.
“If it is already difficult to accept that one cannot continue fighting, it must be much more difficult if this is accompanied by the public’s lack of understanding.
“I hope that the Serbian recovers well and that we can continue to admire his incredible game throughout the rest of the year, but also that he succeeds in transmitting to the public the confidence that a champion of his immense stature should have more than earned.”
The former coach is not alone in his theory on Djokovic’s semi-final exit. Legendary star John McEnroe was also less than convinced over the Serbian’s injury.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this routine. Don’t be fooled,” McEnroe told Channel 9.
That prompted the ten-time Australian Open winner to take to social media posting an image of his scan photo bearing the damage to his hamstring alongside the caption: “Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury ‘experts’ out there.”
Discussing his heartbreaking semi-final exit Djokovic told his post-match press conference: “It’s not the first time that I have encountered these kinds of circumstances.
“It is what it is,” he added. “You know, injury is the biggest enemy of a professional athlete. In the past, I managed certain injuries, like the one you mentioned, a few years ago that to some extent even helped me play better and win the tournament.
“But, yeah, it wasn’t to be this time. That’s okay. You know, I cannot throw away all the incredible memories and results and achievements that I’ve achieved here over the years just because this year, you know, I retired in the semifinals.
“I still, of course, now freshly off the court, am disappointed and upset. But at the same time, Australia always will stay in my head, in my heart, as the best slam that I’ve ever played and ever performed on. Yeah, look, when you are on the court, it’s adrenaline.
He added: “I have to examine more this injury. You know, when I go back home now to Europe, I will get together with the medical team and my physios and try to understand, yeah, what we can do and the quickest way to recover and get back on track.”
