Novak Djokovic’s injury has stirred oceans of opinions among the media, players, former players and fans.
A premise that I want to make before going on in the article: A competitor like Nole must have suffered too much physically, to retire at the end of the first set of the Australian Open 2025 semifinal, otherwise he would never have made such a choice. Those who questioned the real extent of the injury of the Serbian champion then clearly do not know Djokovic well. I believe that if he could, Nole would have played even with one arm tied behind his back, but evidently the pain was too much.
After the publication on social media of the MRI by the Serbian, with a lot of controversy against those who had questioned the injury, there is now curiosity about the future of the 37-year-old Serbian superstar.
His former coach Boris Becker talked about the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s moves, reflecting on Nole’s possible choices in the months to come.
“I’m still a bit shocked. You could see he wasn’t 100% fit. The playing times were too short and his shot selection was unusual. But the fact that he gave up after losing the first set is a testament to the toughness of this sport. That’s what’s brutal.
Against Alcaraz he wasn’t in top form, he had two days off. The question was: did he train? But he was still injured and couldn’t play until the end. Nole hates giving up, he’s a perfectionist. He talked about a torn muscle fiber: you’re out for two or three weeks. I wonder how he managed to play with something like that,” he said.
Novak Djokovic, Australian Open 2025© Stream screenshot
The German six-time Grand Slam champion then reflected on Djokovic’s chances of continuing his partnership with Murray.
“The question is: what now? Will he continue with Andy Murray, as I hope? What are the next tournaments, everything is going through his head now. Where will he go? It’s always very difficult to answer that question after a disappointing defeat. You have to deal with the world opinion, but that’s a side you have to survive as a professional tennis player,” he analyzed.
Becker finally concluded: “It was the best tennis I’ve seen from Novak since the Olympics last summer. The draw was also tough, the match against Alcaraz was top-notch. Now the question is: where will he go? I hope he continues, but these are difficult times for Novak Djokovic.”
Tennis World USA