Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni recently weighed in on Novak Djokovic’s displays across the quarterfinals and semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open. The Serb was injured for most of his quarterfinal clash against Carlos Alcaraz but remarkably won the match in four sets. However, in the semis against Alexander Zverev, he abruptly retired, in the immediate aftermath of losing the first set in a tiebreak.
Toni Nadal, who guided his nephew to 16 Grand Slam titles, opined for El Pais that Djokovic’s contrasting body language and on-court performance, particularly against Alcaraz, stirred “suspicions” about the extent of his injury.
“On this occasion, suspicions began to arise in his quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz. After losing the first set and with obvious signs of pain, the Serbian made it clear to his opponent and the public in general that he would hardly be able to continue his match. But the reality was that, not only did he face the rest of the match with total normality, he even ended up winning it,” Toni Nadal wrote.
The veteran coach went on to talk about Novak Djokovic’s semifinal encounter with Alexander Zverev and the Serb’s sudden decision to retire, which left the Rod Laver Arena crowd shellshocked and prompted sections of it to controversially boo the former No. 1. According to Toni Nadal, Djokovic’s retirement was strange as typically, players try a variety of alternatives to keep going and only consider mid-match retirement as the last resort.
“In his semi-final match against Zverev, on the other hand, he played the entire first set with apparent normality and without visible signs of pain until he decided to abandon it just after the German scored.When a player faces physical problems in a match of this nature, he normally waits until the end to decide to retire. He calls the physiotherapist, plays some games weakened and, only when he sees the inevitable fate, he opts to retire,” he added.
Furthermore, the 63-year-old suggested that these instances weren’t the first time that the 24-time Major winner has come under intense scrutiny for contradictory on-court behavior.
“On more than one occasion we have seen Novak with similar performances, with facial gestures and body language that contradict what we are seeing on the court and that sow certain doubts about the authenticity of his problems,” Toni Nadal further stated.
Meanwhile, the Serb himself fired back at critics who doubted his injury via an astonishing social media post.
