Novak Djokovic has hit back at doubters by posting an MRI scan of his leg injury, which forced him to retire during the Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev.
The Serbian tennis star, 37, withdrew from the match after losing the first set in a tie-break, leaving Melbourne’s crowd divided and some booing his departure. Djokovic later revealed the injury—a tear in his heavily strapped left thigh—had become unmanageable during the game.
In a post on his official X account, Djokovic shared an image of the scan, which displayed a prominent dark area indicating the muscle tear. Alongside the image, he wrote, “Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury ‘experts’ out there.” The post attracted over four million views within hours.
Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, expressed his frustration after the match
Alexander Zverev, who advanced to face Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final, defended Djokovic amid criticism from some fans. “I think we should stop blaming Novak,” said Zverev. “Novak has done absolutely everything he could on the tennis court in the last 20 years.”
The injury has dashed Djokovic’s hopes of clinching a record 25th Grand Slam title, with fans and commentators divided over his early exit.
