Toni Nadal gives verdict on ‘authenticity’ of Novak Djokovic’s injury problems as he questions the Serb’s ‘contradictory’ behavior
World No.6 Novak Djokovic shocked the tennis world when he abruptly ended his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev after the first set.
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Novak Djokovic, Toni Nadal (Images via X, Rafa Nadal Academy)
Novak Djokovic was at the receiving end of criticism because of his medical timeout during his Australian Open quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz. He then pulled out of the semifinal match he played against Alexander Zverev right after the first set.
Rafael Nadal‘s uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, said suspicions regarding the legitimacy of Djokovic’s injury started to rise after the Serb after the first set versus Alcaraz started to play normal tennis and won the match without showing any signs of physical struggles.
In his semi-final match against Zverev, on the other hand, he played the entire first set with apparent normality and without visible signs of pain until he decided to abandon it just after the German scored.
Toni Nadal wrote in his column for El Pais
Toni further said that players only retire mid-match if they see the ‘inevitable’ fate, that is, when it’s impossible to continue. Djokovic lost the first set 7-6(5) in the semifinal and abruptly called off the match.
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 sow certain doubts about the authenticity of his problems.
Toni Nadal added
Djokovic, at the press conference after the match, admitted that if he had won the first set, he would have tried to continue the match. He had torn his muscle and later he censured the ‘injury experts’ who doubted him by showing a picture of his MRI scan on social media.
Stan Wawrinka said Novak Djokovic was the easiest to face amongst the Big 3
According to Stan Wawrinka, the easiest opponent between the Big 3, that is Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, is the 37-year-old Serbian great. Even though Wawrinka is 6-21 against the World No.6, he used to enjoy locking horns with Djokovic.
Wawrinka also noted that the problem lay in how his answer would be perceived. He explained that, despite losing more than 20 times to Novak, he always felt happy to play against him.
I lost in the London final 6-0, 6-3. But I was enjoying playing him. He had such a nice ball and such a clean ball, you feel like even if he destroys you; you are kind of happy because you see the perfect player in front of you.
Stan Wawrinka said on the Nothing Major podcast
Furthermore, the Swiss ace admitted that all opponents were tough but singled out Rafa on clay at the French Open, recalling the 2017 final where he was simply hoping to last an hour in the match.
Currently, Djokovic pulled out of the Davis Cup due to his leg injury, but his participation at the Qatar Open is uncertain. The 39-year-old Swiss, on the other hand, last played at the 2025 Open Occitaine but lost to Arthur Cazaux in the first round.
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Gouri Das
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