"Novak Djokovic likes drama with injuries" - Tennis fans react to Serb practicing at Australian Open with "no obvious signs" of injury

After seeing Novak Djokovic practice rigorously in preparation for the Australian Open 2024, some tennis fans have expressed skepticism over the wrist injury he sustained during the United Cup.

Djokovic recently said he has been struggling with his right wrist over the past few weeks. During his singles match against Australia's Alex de Minaur in the United Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, he asked for a medical timeout due to the discomfort.

The Serb was, however, not awarded the requested break by the tournament physio, which in turn upset him. He ended up losing the match to De Minaur in Serbia's loss to Australia at RAC Arena.

The World No. 1 most recently came out for a practice session at Rod Laver Arena ahead of the Happy Slam, which is scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 14. He showed no signs of discomfort with the wrist during the drill, which has led tennis fans to believe that the injury claim was false.

"Novak likes the drama with the injuries. Unless you see him on a stretcher - just do not believe a thing," a fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Another fan opined that it is one of the Serb's tricks to give his competitors a false sense of complacency.

"[Novak Djokovic] legit says he is injured every year, 100% trying to lure his opposition into a false sense of security," the fan tweeted.

A third fan chimed in, saying:

"Of course not. Nothing wrong with the wrist until he starts losing."

Here are a few more reactions from X:

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Novak Djokovic: "I’m still hungry, I still want to compete, I still can run for hours"

The Serb during a press meet

During a recent conversation with Sports Klub, Novak Djokovic voiced his dilemma at the idea of retirement.

"To be honest, I’m kind of divided [on when to stop and where to play]. There’s always a part of me that is a young boy who just adores tennis and knows only about tennis and devoted his entire life to tennis and that boy still wants to keep going," the 36-year-old said.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner continued:

"I’m still hungry, I still want to compete, I still can run for hours, thankfully, but it’s more of an emotional aspect. It’s more of like, 'What is the priority?' Tennis has been the priority for 30 years, and I don’t want to miss out on too many moments with my children."

Novak Djokovic is blessed with two children — a nine-year-old boy named Stefan and a six-year-old daughter named Tara.