the injury that sows doubt after the two titles he won ‘touched’

Novak Djokovic faces this Friday a new semifinals of grand slamin search of his eleventh crown of the Australian Open and the 100th title of his career. Your rival will be Alexander Zverevbut all eyes are still on the detail that marked their victory in the quarterfinals against Carlos Alcaraz: the injury he suffered in the first set. Was it legitimate?

The situation has generated controversy. During the broadcast of the match, John McEnroe hinted that the Serbian’s physical problems might not be entirely true: “This is not the first time we have seen this. Don’t be fooled,” said the winner of seven majors during the Channel Nine broadcast. Even Alcaraz himself expressed his doubts about it.

The truth is that Djokovic has already won his last two titles in Melbournein 2021 and 2023, surrounded by injuries that raised questions: an abdominal injury and a tear in the thigh, respectively. Now, the question is whether history will repeat itself.

Djokovic took the day off this Wednesday after spending 3 hours and 37 minutes on court in his victory over Alcaraz. During the match, he felt discomfort in his left thigh and needed to be bandaged after the ninth game of the first set.

“I’m not going to go into details because I’m still in the tournament, but it’s a similar feeling to 2023,” said the Serbian, recalling the three-centimeter tear suffered in the days prior to the tournament two years ago. That injury would not prevent him from lifting his tenth title in the Rod Laver Arena.

Given the doubts about the veracity of his physical problems, Craig Tileydirector of the Australian Open, already had to come to his defense in 2023. On that occasion, Djokovic declared: “When others get injured, they are victims. If it’s me, I’m pretending. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. I have the resonance this year and the abdominal one. They will be in my documentary if I feel like showing them.

In 2021, when he won his ninth Australian crown, controversy was also present. Djokovic mentioned an abdominal tear that occurred in the third round against Taylor Fritzbut that did not stop him from winning the remaining four games to win the trophy.

This is how he ‘played’ with Alcaraz

The most recent case, that of Alcaraz, shows how Djokovic’s mental games can throw his rivals off balance. Despite having shown physical problems at the beginning of the match, the Serbian ended up winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and 6-4.

After the match, Djokovic explained on the court: “If I had lost the second set, I don’t know if I would have continued playing. I started to feel better. When the medications stop taking effect, we will see what the reality is tomorrow.”

Later, at a press conference, he admitted that his behavior during matches can affect his opponents: “I understand that it is not comfortable playing against someone who you don’t know if he is going to retire or not. Is he moving? Is he running? What is happening?”

For his part, Alcaraz did not hide his discomfort with the situation. “In the first set it was already seen that he was having physical problems, that it was difficult for him to move. When I won the first set, I was thinking about attacking the second, not letting him breathe,” explained the Murcian.

Less innocent, the pupil of Juan Carlos Ferrero He emphasized that the Serbian’s problems disappeared as the match progressed: “Everyone has seen the problems he had in the second set and then they disappeared, and in the end we played a great third and fourth set.”

Alcaraz hinted at his doubts about Djokovic’s statements: “Someone who was thinking about retiring if he had lost the second set would not have played that way.” Although he did not want to go into details, he added: “I’m not going to go into details.”

In that same press room, minutes later, Djokovic spoke about his injury in a huddle with the Serbian press: “Now I have a lot of work to do with Miljan (Amanovic, his physiotherapist). And it is necessary because we have to evaluate the situation of the injury to work as much as possible immediately. That is my main concern for the next game: to be physically fit, because a victory like this lifts you up emotionally and mentally,” said the Serbian. This Thursday it will be tested.

Djokovic’s history is full of ‘miraculous’ recoveries. In the past Roland Garros, for example, he left the tournament and just two days later he underwent a small intervention on his right knee. That put his participation in the Paris Olympics in doubt, but he competed and ended up winning gold. Seamless.

Now, with the eyes of the world on him, Djokovic will look to write another chapter in his story in Melbourne. If anything has become clear over the years, it is that his physical and mental strength makes him one of the biggest challenges for any rival, even when he seems to be ‘touched’. Let Zverev tremble and Jannik Sinner.