Former Serbian tennis star Viktor Troicki says the Australian Open crowd booing an injured Novak Djokovic was a plain disrespectful and disappointing move.
Moments after Alexander Zverev won the first set 7-6 (5) which lasted an hour and 21 minutes, the record 10-time Australian Open winner walked to the net and retired.
As soon as the crowd realized what had happened, they started heavily booing the former world No. 1 and those boos continued until he left the court.
While Djokovic didn’t seek medical assistance on the court, it was very much known in the public that he was dealing with a left leg injury and that it wasn’t even guaranteed that he would play in the semifinal.
Troicki, who won the United Cup with the 37-year-old in Australia a few years ago, couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Troicki unloads on the Australian Open crowd over the Djokovic boos
“They were booing him after the injury, which I don’t think happens in any sport,” the current Serbian Davis Cup team captain told Bolavip.
“Not even 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.
“They are booing him in the crowd, which was not happening before in Australia. I think they were admiring his results more and greeting the champion with more respect in the past.”
Viktor Troicki and Novak Djokovic© YouTube screenshot
After the match, Djokovic revealed that his muscle was torn and that the pain was increasing to the point where he knew that it would be impossible for him to finish the match.
Also, the record 24-time Grand Slam champion published his MRI scans so everyone could see that he wasn’t making up an injury or anything like that.
Tennis World USA