Novak Djokovic’s retirement during his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open sparked heated controversy, with former Italian tennis stars Paolo Bertolucci and Adriano Panatta casting doubt on the legitimacy of his injury claims. The criticism followed Djokovic’s revelation that he had suffered a muscle tear, a claim further supported by the Serb through a social media post of his medical report.
The controversy began during Djokovic’s quarterfinal clash against Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic sustained the injury during the opening set but, after a medical timeout and the aid of painkillers, staged a stunning comeback to defeat the Spaniard in four sets. His resilience raised questions, with some doubting the severity of the injury due to the ease with which he handled the remainder of the match.
In the days leading up to the semifinal against Zverev, Djokovic skipped back-to-back training sessions, citing his effort to manage the injury. However, after losing the first set, he retired from the match, prompting immediate skepticism. Speaking about his decision, Djokovic said, “I didn’t hit a ball since [the] Alcaraz match… I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear that I had… Towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain. It was too much to handle for me at the moment. Unfortunate ending, but I tried.”
The explanation did not sit well with Bertolucci and Panatta, who openly questioned Djokovic’s claims. Bertolucci, speaking to Corriere dello Sport, dismissed the injury revelation, saying, “With a strain, you can’t even take a step… I don’t really believe it.” Panatta echoed the skepticism, suggesting that Djokovic retired because he realized he had no chance of defeating Zverev. “We know him, we know what Nole does in these situations. He tried, he saw there was no chance against Zverev, and after losing the first set, he threw in the towel.”
In response to the criticism, Djokovic took to social media on Saturday, posting an image of his MRI scan to substantiate his claims. Accompanying the picture, he wrote, “Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury ‘experts’ out there.”
The backlash comes at a challenging moment for Djokovic, who was vying for his record-extending 11th Australian Open title and a historic 25th Grand Slam. While his medical evidence silenced some critics, the debate underscores the scrutiny elite athletes face, particularly one as polarizing as Djokovic.
