Justine Henin takes shots at the crowd for an ‘ugly’ moment against Novak Djokovic after his Australian Open retirement
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin censured the Australian Open crowd for booing an injured Novak Djokovic.
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Novak Djokovic, Justine Henin (Image via X, Tennis.net)
Novak Djokovic had another disappointing campaign at the Australian Open. Hecklers annoyed him and booed him; he got offended due to controversial remarks from a veteran broadcaster before injury forced him to pull out of the semifinal match against Alexander Zverev.
Following his defeat in the first set, Djokovic could continue the match no more to the dismay of the crowd inside Rod Laver Arena. They expected a thrilling fight between the players after paying an enormous amount of money for the tickets. But as they watched just the first set, Djokovic’s withdrawal frustrated them and they started to boo him.
Tennis great Justine Henin understands why the crowd reacted in that manner, but she also pointed out Djokovic, who is 37, gave his best in the tournament, and has rarely abandoned a Grand Slam match.
Djokovic has lived his best moments here but also a detention three years ago. Today, it was an ugly moment, in my opinion. We can’t accept that for a player who gave so much today, but also in the history of this sport. We understand that people paid for this game, but we need to have nuance.
Justine Henin said via Eurosport
Following Djokovic’s withdrawal, Zverev reached the final at Melbourne Park for the first time and will square off against World No.1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner in the summit clash.
Laura Robson also slams crowd for booing Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is the most successful man at the Australian Open, winning the title 10 times. In the tournament, he was also bidding to win his 25th Grand Slam title. Laura Robson, while highlighting his contribution to tennis, expressed her disappointment at the crowd’s conduct when the Serb was walking out after retiring from the semifinal.
He’s trying to reach heights in tennis that no one has achieved before. So to see him walk off, dejected, not having the support he would have wanted, is just really disappointing.
Laura Robson told Eurosport
The Serbian great suffered from a muscle tear and after his withdrawal, he stated that had he won the first set, he would have thought about continuing the match. He has also expressed his uncertainty over his participation in next year’s Australian Open.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion was also struggling during his quarterfinal clash with Carlos Alcaraz, but it was not considered a serious problem at that time. Before the semifinal clash, the World No.7 had also called off his practice session.
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Gouri Das
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