There are positive and negative signs for Novak Djokovic at the beginning of 2025. After being eliminated by Reilly Opelka at the Brisbane International which was his first tournament of the new season the Serbian legend played very well at the 2025 Australian Open, achieving a truly memorable feat against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
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That winhad propelled Nole among the top favorites to lift his 11th trophy at Melbourne Park, but the former world No. 1 suffered a tear in his left thigh during the match against Carlitos. Although some fans, insiders and former players questioned the severity of his injury, the 37-year-old from Belgrade was unable to practice in the two days leading up to the semi-final.
Novak tried to play against Alexander Zverev and was competitive in the first set, but after losing it in the tiebreak he had to retire due to the increasingly strong pain. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was booed by the Australian crowd when he walked off the court, a reaction that caused outrage in the days that followed.
Djokovic would not have deserved such treatment, in what may have been his last participation in a tournament in which he made history.
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The next day, the Serbian posted the resonance of his injury on social media, silencing all his haters.
Update on Djokovic's schedule
According to some experts, the tear is quite deep and is located in an area that is not easy to treat properly, which is why Nole could be out for a couple of months.
If this were the case, the former world number 1 would miss in addition to the Davis Cup tie between his Serbia and Denmark also the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami. It cannot be ruled out that in order to avoid any kind of risk Novak decides to return to action directly on the red clay of Monte Carlo.
After failing the assault on AO, his next big goal becomes the French Open.
