Novak Djokovic rips 'experts' who doubted his injury

The chatter of Djokovic "faking" his injury stemmed from him taking a medical timeout early in his quarterfinal win against Carlos Alcaraz and still managing to win the match in four sets. 

Following his win, some analysts felt Djokovic oversold his injury to throw Alcaraz off rhythm and play mind games with the Spaniard. Djokovic disputed the suggestion and said he would have retired against Alcaraz, too, but felt better when "the medication started to kick in" after a medical timeout. 

Even parts of the Melbourne crowd questioned Djokovic's injury as they booed him off the court after his retirement against Alexander Zverev. In response to the booing, a shocked Djokovic held back against speaking ill against a fan base he had entertained for over two decades. 

"I am doing my best to understand them, but I am not sure whether they understand me or if they even want to understand me," he said of the crowd booing him, via The Tennis Letter. "...I know how my body works, what I feel, and I know how much I've given to this tournament in the past 20-plus years. I will stop here, so that I don't continue (speaking) in the wrong direction."

Djokovic's latest injury setback is perhaps another sign of Father Time catching up to the 37-year-old icon. The Serb similarly retired from last year's French Open quarterfinal with a knee issue and skipped the year-ending ATP Finals to recuperate from lingering injuries.