Novak Djokovic simply cannot shake the conspiracy allegations that surrounded him at the Australian Open. The 10-time Australian Open champion went to extreme lengths this week to share photographs of a hamstring strain on his Instagram account after his unexpected withdrawal from the tournament raised concerns.
The 37-year-old retired from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev after a difficult 84-minute opening set, and was booed by the fans as he went off the court. The Serbian entered Rod Laver Arena with extensive strapping on the upper half of his left leg, having sustained the injury during his quarter-final match against Carlos Alcaraz.
While he looked nowhere near his best, it came as a surprise when he retired injured after the first set tie-break.
Angry spectators, who paid a minimum of $400, were outraged that they had paid so much money to watch one set of tennis and wondered why Djokovic had not taken an injury break or sought treatment before throwing in the towel.
This is why the significance of Djokovic's ailment has been called into question, and others believe he used it to justify his performance.
Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal's 20-year coach, has penned an explosive blog in which he supports the claim that Djokovic overstated the extent of his injuries at Melbourne Park.
The Spanish coach said the jeering Djokovic endured in Melbourne was inappropriate, but he understood why fans were upset.
"In his semi-final match against Zverev, on the other hand, he played the entire first set with apparent normality and without visible signs of pain until he decided to abandon it just after the German scored. When a player faces physical problems in a match of this nature, he normally waits until the end to decide to retire. He calls the physiotherapist, plays some games weakened and, only when he sees the inevitable fate, he opts to retire," he added. (translated from Spanish)