Serbia Davis Cup captain Viktor Troiki has slammed the treatment of Novak Djokovic after he was booed off court following his retirement at the Australian Open. After losing the first set of his semi-final against Alexander Zverev, the 24-time Grand Slam champion was unable to continue and handed his German rival a walkover win.
It followed accusations from John McEnroe that the Serb had been exaggerating the extent of his hamstring injury in his epic quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz, and fans made their feelings known as Djokovic limped out of the Rod Laver Arena.
The 37-year-old later responded by posting an image of an MRI scan confirming a muscle tear on social media, adding the caption: “Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury ‘experts’ out there.
It wasn’t the only controversy Down Under involving the icon, who boycotted a Channel Nine interview during the tournament after broadcaster Tony Jones mocked his career and supporters in a television clip that went viral. And Troiki has now fiercely defended his compatriot as well as calling for Jones to be severely punished.
“They were booing him after the injury, which I don’t think happens in any sport,” he 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.
As for Jones, Troiki added: “There was the situation around Channel Nine, which I noticed as well. If I had hired that journalist, I would have fired him straight away. He would never work in sports again.”
It remains unclear how long Djokovic will be sidelined for, but he has been forced to withdraw from his country’s Davis Cup tie with Denmark this weekend. Despite the blow, his skipper still believes his team can overcome their hosts in Copenhagen.
“We are weakened by not playing Novak, but we are still going for the win,” he said. “The Danes have a great player in Holger Rune, but our players are also great and I believe in my team.
Djokovic has hinted at potential retirement this year if his fitness issues continue to mount. After his Australian Open exit, he admitted he was unsure if he had made his final appearance at the Grand Slam.
He remains tied with Margaret Court’s record for the most Slam titles in history with 24. His next opportunity to beat the record is due to come at the French Open in late May and June, but his participation at Roland Garros now appears in doubt.
