WATCH: Did Carlos Alcaraz mock Novak Djokovic’s injury? – John McEnroe gives his verdict

Former American tennis stars John McEnroe and James Blake believe Carlos Alcaraz mocked Novak Djokovic’s injury during the pair’s thrilling Australian Open quarter-final clash.
Djokovic received treatment for a right leg injury in the first set and his movement looked compromised for much of the second set as he adopted a highly aggressive playing style.
McEnroe, who was commentating on the match for ESPN, suggested he thought Djokovic was feigning injury as he asserted it was a “routine” the Serbian legend has used before.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this routine. Don’t be fooled,” said the former world No 1.
Djokovic’s movement and level improved in the third set and fourth sets as he sealed a stunning four-set comeback victory on Rod Laver Arena.
During the break between the third and fourth sets, Alcaraz stood up from his chair and appeared to walk around like he was limping as he looked over at his coaching box.
Alcaraz se moquerait-il de la blessure de Djokovic en l’imitant en train de boiter ? pic.twitter.com/A6FxUXn1Ct
— Quentin Moynet (@QuentinMoynet) January 21, 2025
Blake, a former world No 4, who was commentating with McEnroe, thought Alcaraz was “acting” injured out of frustration at Djokovic.
“You can see the frustration, he’s kinda limping around… and he gets up and does it again,” Blake said.
“He’s obviously fine, just acting like he’s got some sort of an injury there. It’s clearly the frustration there.”
McEnroe agreed and added he would have done the same had he played Djokovic in the same situation.
“(Laughs) That’s funny. Yeah, that’s what I would do if I was playing him, I’d be like, going right at Novak like, ‘Hey man, come on.’ No kidding, I don’t blame him (Alcaraz),” the seven-time major singles champion said.
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After the match, Djokovic admitted he was “concerned” about his injury ahead of his semi-final with Alexander Zverev on Friday.
“I’m not going to go into details, but it’s very similar to what I had few years ago (which was a hamstring injury). 2023, to be exact. I haven’t done any tests obviously,” the 37-year-old explained in his press conference.
“I mean, I’ve done tests with the physio when they took me off the court, when I had the medical timeout. He strapped me, and then the doctor gave me some medication, so forth, some painkillers. That kicked in after 20, 30 minutes. It did help. Then I had to take another dose I think in the beginning of the fourth.
“Yeah, now that it’s cooling off, I can start to feel different things. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow and day by day.
“Now it’s really about recovery. I’m concerned. I am, to be honest, physically. But if I manage somehow to, yeah, be physically good enough, I think mentally, emotionally I’m as motivated as I can be.”
The 24-time major winner also admitted: “I didn’t know, to be honest, if I lost that second set, I don’t know if I would continue playing.”
In his post-match press conference, Alcaraz spoke about the challenge of playing after Djokovic’s injury and declared that he did not believe his rival would have retired irrespective of the outcome of the second set.
“When I won the first set, I tried not to let him breathe and go for it, to see if he would lower his level or if he would give me more peace of mind,” the world No 3 said.
“There were several moments in which I did not take advantage of my opportunities. Small moments in the match that make the difference. I lacked attacking more.
“Someone who thinks about retiring would not have played the way he did afterwards. Everyone saw that he had trouble moving and in the third and fourth sets — I did not see any of that.
“I think that even if he had lost the second set, I would have had to sweat to have beaten him. I am not going to go into details, but I think he would not have retired.”
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