Andy Roddick thought the Australian Open crowd was plain disrespectful when booing Novak Djokovic as the American tennis legend said felt “icky” to see the Serb getting treated that way when it was maybe his last appearance at Melbourne Park.
After losing the first set of his semifinal against Alexander Zverev, the Serb decided to retire the match even without calling a physio.
However, it wasn’t a secret that he was dealing with a left leg injury and he wasn’t even sure if he would be able to play against the German.
While the crowd was very likely aware of the situation, they still didn’t appreciate at all Djokovic’s move, booing him off the court.
Novak Djokovic© Australian Open/X Fair Use
Roddick: Maybe you won’t see Djokovic again and you booed him
“I didn’t like it. Listen, you can disagree with someone, it’s just booing someone when they’re going off, even if you don’t know if they’re really hurt, you don’t boo,” the American tennis legend said on the Served with Andy Roddick.
“If you suspect they’re not hurt, there’s a chance that they’re telling the truth, you don’t boo.
“I just hated the fact that he’s leaving the court to boos and I understand he likes the friction, he invites the friction in, he thrives off of in it and at times has created controversy because he operates well in that space. I get all that but at a certain point if you’re a tennis fan respect has to win out.”
After the match, Djokovic said he was specifically dealing with a muscle tear.
When asked about the future, the 37-year-old didn’t confirm that he would 100 percent be back in Melbourne next year.
“You don’t know if you’re going to see them again. I didn’t like that, it made me feel icky on the inside. I didn’t like that,” Roddick added.
Meanwhile, Djokovic also pulled out of this week’s Davis Cup tie against Denmark.
Tennis World USA