 "Novak Djokovic was booed by the crowd in Melbourne after withdrawing from the Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev. AP")
Novak Djokovic was booed by the crowd at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Friday after he withdrew from the Australian Open semi-final match against Alexander Zverev due to an injury. Zverev had taken the first set 7-6 (7-5), and not long after Djokovic withdrew from the match due to a muscle tear on his left leg. Djokovic had sustained the injury during his quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday.
Zverev showed great sportsmanship after the match as he requested the crowd not to boo the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Australian Open | Novak Djokovic hints at retirement from tennis after withdrawing from semi-final
‘Novak has given absolutely everything’: Zverev
“Please, guys, don’t boo a player when he goes out with an injury. I know everyone paid for tickets and everyone wants to see a five-set semi-final but Novak has given absolutely everything of his life to the sport the last 20 years," Zverev said.
“He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear. He has won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he cannot continue a tennis match, he cannot. Be respectful. Really, show some love for Novak as well,” he added. Former Wimbledon and US Open champion John McEnroe also asked the crowd to not boo the 37-year-old. “They can’t possibly be booing him. Please!,” McEnroe, a commentator with Australia’s Nine network, said on air.
“He’s won this 10 times. I mean, come on. I mean, clearly something was up,” he added. “The guy is a battler. I mean, him and Rafa (Nadal) have dug deeper than any two players I have seen. So to do that (boo), because he decided that he couldn’t go on after what he’s done here I thought was absolutely ludicrous, honestly,” commented the 65-year-old.
Former Australian tennis player John Millman also condemned the crowd and said that some of them crossed a line. “The crowds have been questioned a lot and rightly so,” he said. “I just think it’s a bit of a shambles, some of the behaviour has crossed the line and that one takes the cake for me.
“This is a guy who has won it 10 times, have some respect. He is one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest — he’s definitely the greatest on this court. I don’t care how much you’ve paid for your ticket, have some respect,’ he added. Jelena Dokic, another retired tennis player, said that he wouldn’t take the withdrawal lightly. “If he decided he couldn’t play, he couldn’t play," she said.