John McEnroe says ‘don’t be fooled’ as Novak Djokovic suffers injury scare against Carlos Alcaraz

Ewan West 21 Jan 2025 1:22 PM

John McEnroe and Novak Djokovic

John McEnroe suggested he thinks Novak Djokovic faked an injury as a tactic during his Australian Open quarter-final showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic took a 2-0 lead in the first set, but he showed clear signs of discomfort shortly thereafter as his movement seemed hampered by a leg issue.

After Alcaraz broke to take a 5-4 lead in the opener, Djokovic spoke to the physio before leaving the court for a medical timeout.

The 37-year-old Serbian returned with strapping on his upper left thigh, and he could not prevent Alcaraz from serving the set out to love.

Commentating on ESPN’s coverage of the match, McEnroe cast doubt over Djokovic’s injury and claimed it was a “routine” he has used before.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this routine. Don’t be fooled,” said the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion.

After Djokovic won the second set, McEnroe’s brother and co-commentator Patrick McEnroe asked him in disbelief: “Did you see this coming!?”

“Yes,” the American replied.

Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, responded to losing the opening set in incredible fashion as he produced a staggering display of aggressive tennis to win the next three sets.

The tennis legend, who is seeded seventh in Melbourne, prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a pulsating encounter against Alcaraz, the world No 3 and a four-time major winner.

Djokovic now leads his head-to-head series with Alcaraz 5-3 and he has levelled the score in Grand Slam matches to 2-2.

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Following his incredible win, Djokovic admitted he was concerned about his injury, which he has revealed is similar to the hamstring issue he played through to win the 2023 Australian Open.

“I have to assess the situation tomorrow when I wake up,” the 24-time major winner told the media.

“I will try to do as much as I possibly can with my recovery team, with my physio, today, tomorrow, the next few days. Probably skip training tomorrow. I’ll see if I’m going to train in two days or not.

“I’ll take it day by day. Now it’s really about recovery. I’m concerned. I am, to be honest, physically. But, if I manage somehow to be physically good enough, I think mentally, and emotionally, I’m as motivated as I can be.

“I’m just pleased with the way I was able to play throughout the entire tournament, including against one of the best players, one of the two or three best players in the word in the last three, four years. It’s just a great win. I’m very proud of it.”

Djokovic will face world No 2 Alexander Zverev in the last four at Melbourne Park on Friday.

What else has McEnroe said about Djokovic during the Australian Open?

Prior to Djokovic and Alcaraz’s quarter-final blockbuster, former world No 1 McEnroe spoke about the Serbian’s pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.

“What he (Djokovic) wants is to get to 25, I don’t think he cares how he does it,” the American told Eurosport.

“If he knew he was going to win the tournament, of course he’d rather play Alcaraz and get a piece of him and then beat [Jannik] Sinner in the final, the best of the best.

“But at this point, it’s not like he hasn’t proven he can beat the best, and done it a bunch of times. He’s just trying to set records that won’t be surpassed. He’s awfully close already, if not there.

“I don’t see how any male players are going to break his records for a long time.”

Following Djokovic’s four-set second round win over Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria, McEnroe said: “Djokovic was extremely frustrated. He was up a set and a the break. It was cruise control.

“But Faria woke up and he started hitting the big ball. He’s a big boy. He’s probably six three, at least, maybe six four. He packs a punch.

“Andy Murray over there on the sideline, I think was starting to get a little nervous with what was going on.”