"Sad that he has to do this";"Absolutely shameful": Fans react to Novak Djokovic sharing MRI scan after accusations of 'faking' Australian Open injury

Tennis fans recently reacted to Novak Djokovic sharing his MRI scan following accusations of him faking his injury during the 2025 Australian Open. This year, the Serb was aiming to secure his 11th Melbourne Major title and his 25th Grand Slam title overall at the tournament

Djokovic was seeded seventh at the Australian Open and he triumphed over Nishesh Basavareddy, Jaime Faria, Tomas Machac, Jiri Lehecka, and Carlos Alcaraz to advance to the semifinals. In the final four, he faced off against second seed Alexander Zverev. However, the Serb was forced to retire from the match after the first set due to a muscle tear in his upper left leg, with the score standing at 7-6(5).

Following his withdrawal from the match against Zverev, doubts emerged regarding the authenticity of Novak Djokovic's injury. In response to these speculations, the former World No.1 took to social media to share an image of his MRI scan to confirm the legitimacy of his injury.

“Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury “experts” out there," Djokovic posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Many tennis fans were dismayed by the fact that Novak Djokovic felt compelled to provide proof of his injury. They took to social media to share their opinions on same.

One fan expressed that it was "sad" that it was necessary for the 24-time Grand Slam champion to share his MRI scan to dispel doubts about his injury.

“It’s sad that he has to do this. Never seen a GOAT of a sport be treated like this ever," a fan posted.

Another fan stated that Novak Djokovic having to share his MRI scans to appease his doubters was "absolutely shameful."

“Its absolutely shameful that it has come down and what a tragic day for @atptour when the greatest player in your sport to ever touch a racket has to do this. And a huge screw you to so called tennis journalists and commentators and pundits who have spent decades and their entire professional lives creating this atrocious, false and pathetic narrative to appease the establishment," a fan wrote.

“Hope he's having speedy recovery and not wasting time on people who can't read MRI accusing him of faking," a fan posted.

“A player should never have to come out and explain their injury - it’s their own personal thing to deal with. Hope the doubters can sleep peacefully now," a fan wrote.

Here are some other fan reactions:

“It is sad that one of the greatest athletes of all time has to share his scan to defend his character. We owe him more than this," a fan posted.

“No athlete in the history has been so much vilified as much Novak. So much, that he now has to publicly share his health information coz the establishment wants to label this as fake. Utter disgrace. But kudos to the 🐐 to lay it bare for all to see the truth! @DjokerNole," a fan wrote.

“What a sad fact that one of the greatest athletes ever has to put up his medical records to prove he’s injured. Legacy media and Australia as a nation should hang their heads in shame," a fan posted.

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Novak Djokovic on the injury he sustained at the 2025 Australian Open: “I did everything I can to manage the muscle tear”

Novak Djokovic at the 2025 Australian Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

During the press conference following his retirement from the semifinals match against Alexander Zverev at the 2025 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic revealed that before beginning his match against the German he had tried everything to manage the muscle tear.

The Serb explained that he had tried various treatments, including medication and strapping up his upper left leg with medical tape . He said that he had also worked with his physio to ensure he was match-ready, but it was not meant to be, and he was forced to retire from the match.

“I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear that I had. Medications and, I guess, the strap, and the physio work helped to some extent. But yeah, 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,” Djokovic said.

Before beginning his campaign at the 2025 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic had participated in the Brisbane International, where he reached the quarterfinals before being defeated by Reilly Opelka.

The former World No.1 also competed in the doubles event at the ATP 250 event alongside Nick Kyrgios, reaching the second round before being eliminated by the top-seeded pair of Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus.