Toni Nadal understands why Australian Open crowd booed Novak Djokovic

Toni Nadal has waded into controversy after saying that he “understands” why an injured Novak Djokovic was booed by fans at the Australian Open when he was forced to retire mid-match against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.

The moment was widely criticized on social media in tennis circles and beyond, especially after the 24-time Grand Slam winner later revealed the extent of the injury to his left hamstring. But in a column for *El Pais* published on Sunday, the former coach of Rafael Nadal and Felix Auger-Aliassime writes that there’s been “mistrust” surrounding Djokovic’s physical condition long before fans lashed out in Melbourne.

Read More: Alexander Zverev through to first Australian Open final after Novak Djokovic retires

“I believe that a great champion like the Serbian, someone who has contributed to writing the most sublime pages in the history of tennis, shouldn’t be treated like that when he leaves any court—and even less so at Rod Laver Arena, where he holds the record for victories and titles,” Nadal wrote.

“It’s another thing to ask ourselves, now that those events have taken place, about the reason behind why this protest broke out in the stands.”

Djokovic injured his leg during his quarterfinal victory against Carlos Alcaraz, and there wer signs that the injury was a serious one: He shut down questions about it in press afterward and skipped practices ahead of the semifinal on Rod Laver Arena, where he took the court with his left thigh heavily strapped. Despite being physically hampered, the 10-time AO champion kept the contest close and pushed Zverev to a tiebreak. But after the German took the first set, Djokovic abruptly ended the match by walking over to his opponent’s side of the court and shaking hands.

The move took commentators by surprise and left fans in the stands stunned in disbelief. After processing their shock, some fans booed and whistled while others applauded as Djokovic left the court. The former world No. 1 responded with a sarcastic thumbs up to the Melbourne crowd, prompting Zverev to call out their behavior during his on-court interview.

“First of all, I understand that the public showed their disappointment and anger at being deprived of the expected spectacle after having paid a ticket for it,” Nadal explains in El Pais.

“But the second and probably most important reason, is that over the years, there’s been a certain mistrust surrounding Novak, due to his grimaces or histrionics, which has raised doubts about the true extent of his injuries…

“On more than one occasion we have seen Novak put on a similar performance, with facial expressions and body language that contradict what we are seeing on the court and that cast a certain doubt on the authenticity of his problems.”

A day after the semifinal, Djokovic hit out at so-called ‘sports injury experts’ on social media by sharing a photo of an MRI scan that depicted the extent of his hamstring injury. He provided no additional details and no timeline for recovery.

Read More: Novak Djokovic takes aim at "injury experts" as he shares photo of an MRI of his left hamstring

Still, Djokovic’s semifinal retirement marked the seventh time he has pulled out of a Grand Slam match due to injury or illness. The reputation for contradictory injuries has followed him since the early days of his career, when his matches often featured lengthy medical time outs and when most of those retirements took place. In 2008, for example, American champion Andy Roddick infamously pondered which dubious injury Djokovic would cite after their US Open quarterfinal clash: “Isn't it both (ankles)? And a back and a hip? And a cramp… Bird flu? Anthrax? SARS? Common cough and cold?”

Even after Djokovic solved his fitness issues and went on to win double-digit Grand Slam titles, clearly that reputation lingers—due in part to his ability to play through pain and injuries. He won the title in Melbourne with a torn abdominal in 2021 and after suffering a hamstring tear in 2023. Nadal also cited the “total normality” with which Djokovic dispatched Alcaraz after injuring himself—despite initially appearing to be on the brink of pulling out of the match—as a confusing contrast to the player’s abrupt retirement three days later.

Read More: Failing to win another Australian Open injured just makes Novak Djokovic a little more mortal

“I can imagine how hard it must have been for him to have to accept such a negative reaction from the public,” Nadal concludes the column. “If it is already hard to accept that you can’t continue fighting, it must be that much more difficult if it’s accompanied by the public's lack of understanding.

“I hope that the Serbian player recovers well and that we can continue to admire his incredible game throughout the rest of the year—but also that he succeeds in conveying to the public the confidence that a champion of his immense stature should have more than earned.”