Djokovic Wanted To Prove He Was Injured At Australian Open, But He Proved Much More
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A picture Novak Djokovic posted of his MRI scan from the Australian Open contained past dates that further proved how wrong many were to doubt his sincerity about being injured.
Djokovic has a history of battling through injuries to win tournaments against the odds. The tennis legend attempted to do that again after struggling with a left leg injury in the quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz.
It seemed like Djokovic might still be able to challenge for the Australian Open title after beating Alcaraz in four sets despite his physical issue. The Serbian's movement improved in the third and fourth sets of that contest.
However, the former ATP world No. 1 retired after the first set of his semifinal against Alexander Zverev. Djokovic fought hard in a grueling 82-minute opening set on the Rod Laver Arena but decided to retire after losing it on a tiebreak.
Despite Djokovic being among the most significant figures in tennis history, some doubted whether he was genuinely injured. A section of fans booed the 37-year-old as he left the court after retiring against Zverev.
John McEnroe was also unconvinced in his previous match against Alcaraz. The seven-time Grand Slam champion told fans not to be fooled by Djokovic and said he had a history of acting injured before suddenly being okay again.
Djokovic's decision to post an image of his MRI scan after retiring against Zverev embarrassed those who questioned his sincerity. The photo, which can be viewed below, clearly showed a significant tear in his left hamstring.
However, another part of the image could have been easy for fans to miss. At the top of the scan are the dates of his previous MRI scans, meaning a timeline can easily be made of when Djokovic had injuries.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion also dealt with accusations of exaggerating injuries at the 2021 and 2023 Australian Opens. Djokovic won both those editions of the Grand Slam despite having physical issues during them.
The 2021 Australian Open was played in February because of scheduling complications related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two of his previous MRI scans occurred on February 13th, 2021, the day after he had a five-set battle with Taylor Fritz.
Djokovic also had an MRI on February 22nd after winning the final against Daniil Medvedev. Those scans were for an abdominal injury he successfully managed to win a ninth Australian Open title.
The Serbian's run to glory at the 2023 Australian Open was even more impressive. He competed with a 3cm tear in his hamstring, a problem that would have made many players decide not to play at all.
The dates of Djokovic's MRI scans prove once again that he was not exaggerating his injuries. Last year's Olympic gold medalist had a scan on January 14th, before the tournament started, on the 23rd, after the fourth round, and on the 29th, the day of the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Those dates prove beyond any doubt that Djokovic was being truthful about the injuries. The sporting icon should never have had to prove his sincerity, but those who did not believe him were unequivocally wrong.
