Former world No 1 slams ‘ugly’ Novak Djokovic abuse at Australian Open

Oliver Paton
Novak Djokovic and Justine Henin
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Novak Djokovic has given everything to the Australian Open – ten titles, the longest-ever Grand Slam final, and countless five-set epic – however, on Friday, he was booed off the court in what could be his final appearance on Rod Laver Arena.

After not practising for more than 48 hours and subsequently retiring from his match against Alexander Zverev, the Serbian superstar waved the Australian Open crowd goodbye with both arms.

Yet it was clear that large sections of the crowd were annoyed at how the match concluded, after what was a competitive opening set that went Zverev’s way.

Once the dust had settled, former world No 1 Justine Henin spoke to Eurosport, as she gave her verdict on the criticism flowing in Djokovic’s direction.

“Djokovic has lived his best moments here but also a detention three years ago,” said Henin.

“Today, it was an ugly moment, in my opinion. We can’t accept that for a player who gave so much today, but also in the history of this sport.

“We understand that people paid for this game, but we need to have nuance.

“Djokovic has very rarely abandoned a Grand Slam. He is 37 years old, he still comes here to give his best. It’s not logical with the champion he is. He was right to react.”

Former player Babara Schett also weighed in on the crowd’s reaction, as she found a word to describe the abuse flowing in Djokovic’s direction.

“It was horrible, we were shocked, Laura and myself when the crowd started booing,” the former world No 7 stated.

“You never know in tennis, in sports, anything can happen. You can get injured, and clearly, he was so injured he couldn’t continue.

“Yes, the tickets are expensive, but again, that’s sports. It’s not like you buy a ticket for a movie and you know this is going on for two hours and you’re going to be there from start to finish.

“No, you could be there for an hour and a half only, but you could also be there for five hours and that’s the beauty about tennis because you never know what happens.”

Fellow Eurosport commentator and former British No 1 Laura Robson largely agreed with both Henin and Schett

“To hear that as Novak’s walking out, for anyone to get booed when they’re struggling with an injury, let alone someone who has won the tournament 10 times,” said Robson.

“He’s trying to reach heights in tennis that no one has achieved before. So to see him walk off, dejected, not having the support he would have wanted, is just really disappointing.”

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Frenchman Arnaud Clement, who competed alongside the 24-time Grand Slam champion when he was still on the tour, suggested he was deeply disappointed with the crowd’s reaction and argued the Serbian deserves more respect.

“To hear that as Novak’s walking out, for anyone to get booed when they’re struggling with an injury, let alone someone who has won the tournament 10 times,” said the former top-10 player.

“He’s trying to reach heights in tennis that no one has achieved before. So to see him walk off, dejected, not having the support he would have wanted, is just really disappointing.”

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