Serbia’s Davis Cup captain condemns ‘really disrespectful’ Australian Open crowd for booing an injured Novak Djokovic
Viktor Troicki censured the Australian Open crowd for booing Novak Djokovic when he walked off the court due to a hamstring injury.
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Novak Djokovic (Image via X)
Serbia’s Davis Cup captain Viktor Troicki was shocked to see the crowd at Rod Laver Arena booing Novak Djokovic because he withdrew from the Australian Open semifinal after the first set against Alexander Zverev. Djokovic injured his left hamstring and was forced to call off the match to the disappointment and dismay of the crowd.
A section of the crowd was so angry that they let out their frustration by booing the 10-time Australian Open champion. The crowd’s behavior has become a talking point with several notable names from the tennis community coming out in support of the Serb.
Some of his critics questioned the severity of his injury following which, he had to share the MRI scan to shut up the ‘injury experts’. Troicki observed that he has never seen crowds disrespecting players when they are injured in other sports, including in soccer where the ‘crowd is normally more wild’.
When someone gets injured in soccer, even an opponent, they will applaud you and wish you to get better. That’s why it was surprising to see, especially in a place where he has played his best tennis and has won 10 titles, that he got booed after the injury. It was really disrespectful and disappointing.
Viktor Troicki told BolaVIP
Because of the muscle tear, Djokovic withdrew from the Davis Cup tie against Denmark. Before the semifinal clash with Zverev, Djokovic was seen limping during the first set against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. As he took a medical timeout and came out on top in four sets, critics accused him of feigning the injury.
Toni Nadal questions crowd’s behavior after Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from semifinal
Rafael Nadal‘s uncle Toni Nadal, in his column for El Pais, explained why he thinks there are often doubts regarding the authenticity of Novak Djokovic‘s injuries. Toni, who coached 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, said suspicions began to arise after Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz in an emphatic fashion despite dealing with the injury.
Toni, however, backed Djokovic when it came to the crowd’s behavior. The 63-year-old said Djokovic has written the ‘most glorious’ pages of tennis history and the crowd shouldn’t have treated him in that manner.
Respect, this is my personal feeling, he truly deserves in that difficult moment, without a doubt, of having to leave the court that has seen him triumph so many times.
Toni Nadal wrote
Djokovic was chasing history at the Melbourne Slam as he was bidding to become a 25-time Grand Slam champion. The 37-year-old is next scheduled to play at the Qatar Open but because of the injury, his participation is uncertain.
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