Novak Djokovic goes public with damning photo as Jelena Dokic calls out truth in Aus Open 'disgrace'

Djokovic has responded after being booed off court and accused of faking injury at the Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic has taken to social media to show the extent of the hamstring injury that forced him to retire hurt in his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev. On Saturday night, the 24-time grand slam champion posted a screenshot of an MRI done on his left hamstring, showing the tear that forced him to call it quits.

Djokovic wrote: "Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury 'experts' out there." It comes after Djokovic was booed off court by a number of spectators when he retired after losing the first set to Zverev.

Novak Djokovic and Jelena Dokic alongside an MRI of his torn hamstring.
Novak Djokovic (L) has posted an MRI of his torn hamstring, after Jelena Dokic (R) came to his defence and slammed those who booed. Image: Getty/Novak Djokovic/AAP

Djokovic tore his hamstring in the quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz, but many questioned whether he was actually injured or trying to mess with his opponent. In commentary for Channel 9, American great John McEnroe said: "Don't be fooled, we've seen this routine before."

ADVERTISEMENT

It remains to be seen whether McEnroe was suggesting Djokovic was foxing, or simply pointing out that Djokovic has played through injuries a number of times in the past. He famously won the Australian Open title in 2023 with a hamstring tear, which wasn't as bad as the one he suffered this year.

On Friday, Djokovic issued a classy response to the storm around his Australian Open exit, admitting he can understand (to an extent) why fans booed him off court. With tickets starting at $300 and going up to $1000 for the semi-final, fans were clearly unhappy they didn't get bang for buck with just one set of play. Tennis fans and commentators have condemned those who booed, but Djokovic revealed in his post-match press conference that he can understand where fans were coming from.

People have come, they paid for the tickets expecting a great match and a big fight, which they didn’t get,” he said. “From that perspective, I can understand. I am doing my best to understand them, but I am not sure whether they understand me or if they even want to understand me.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I know how my body works, what I feel, and I know how much I’ve given to this tournament in the past 20-plus years. I will stop here, so that I don’t continue in the wrong direction.”

Discussing the situation on Channel 9 after the match, John Millman and Jelena Dokic both said the booing was wrong. Millman pointed out the poor crowd behaviour all throughout the tournament, and he said it crossed a line on Friday.

"The crowds have been questioned a lot and rightly so. I mean, I just think it's a bit of a shambles," Millman. "Some of the behaviour has crossed the line and that one takes the cake for me.

"I mean, this is a guy who's won it 10 times. Have some respect. He's one of the all-time greats, if not the greatest to play. He's definitely the greatest to play on this court. I don't care how much you've spent on your ticket - have some respect."

Novak Djokovic, pictured here being booed by fans after he was forced to retire hurt.
Novak Djokovic was booed by fans after he was forced to retire hurt against Alexander Zverev. Image: Getty/Channel 9

RELATED:

ADVERTISEMENT

Some of the booing is believed to be about the fact Djokovic didn't even call a medical timeout before retiring. But Dokic said there's no way Djokovic would have retired hurt unless he was absolutely sure he couldn't continue.

"We've seen Djokovic in his career when he's had injuries, he's played through them," Dokic said. "He's continued in the tournament and gone on and hasn't retired. Only a really heavy knee injury at the French Open took him out last year when he couldn't play the quarter-final. So if he decided he couldn't play, he really couldn't play."

Millman also took to social media to label the booing a "disgrace", and so did Aussie great Rennae Stubbs. "I don’t care what u think of Novak Djokovic, love him or hate him," Stubbs wrote. "If you booed him off the court today, you’re a disgrace. That man has literally left his heart & soul on that court. He’s our greatest champion in Melbourne and he’s injured! Think about what you just did. Disgraceful!!"

Many said they were embarrassed by the poor behaviour from members of the crowd throughout the whole tournament, including booing players and cheering their errors when playing against Aussies. Danielle Collins was booed when playing Destanee Aiava, while Jack Draper had to overcome some poor fan behaviour in matches against against Thanasi Kokkinakis and Aleksandr Vukic.

Meanwhile, Zverev will face Jannik Sinner in Sunday night's final. World No.1 Sinner proved too good for Ben Shelton in the other semi-final, winning 7-6 (2) 6-2 6-2.