Djokovic hits back at ‘experts’ who queried his injury

Djokovic had been hurt late in the first set of his previous match, a four-set victory against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals on Tuesday night.

“I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear that I had,” Djokovic said at his post-match news conference on Friday.

“Towards the end of that first set, I just started feeling more and more pain. It was too much, I guess, to handle for me at the moment. Unfortunate ending, but I tried.”

Of those who booed him, he added: “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.

Loading

“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.”

AAP, with agencies