“They are treating Novak Djokovic worse and worse” - Viktor Troicki calls out Australia's 'disrespectful' treatment of fellow Serb

Viktor Troicki criticized the Australian crowd for their disrespectful treatment of Novak Djokovic during the 2025 Australian Open. The Serb reached the semifinals of the Melbourne Major before being forced to retire midway due to an injury

Seeded seventh, Djokovic defeated Nishesh Basavareddy, qualifier Jaime Faria, Tomas Machac, Jiri Lehecka, and third seed Carlos Alcaraz to secure a spot in the semifinals. However, the Serb had to withdraw from the match against Alexander Zverev after the first set due to a muscle tear in his upper left leg, with the score at 7-6(5).

As Djokovic left the court following his retirement, the spectators in the stadium booed him. This behavior did not sit well with his compatriot Viktor Troicki, who criticized the fans for their behavior.

In an exclusive interview with Bolavip, Troicki expressed his disappointment with the treatment Djokovic received in Australia. The former World No. 12 said that the mistreatment began in 2022 when Djokovic was deported from the country for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

“I think they are treating Novak worse and worse. It is surprising and disappointing to see the greatest player of all time experiencing so many bad things happening in Australia again. After COVID and what they did to him a few years ago, it has never been the same,” Viktor Troicki said.

Viktor Troicki condemned the fans for booing the 24-time Grand Slam champion as he walked off the court after retiring from his semifinal match. Labeling the crowd behavior as “disrespectful and disappointing”, Troicki said:

“They were booing him after the injury, which I don’t think happens in any sport. Not even in football, where the crowd is normally more wild. When someone gets injured in football, even an opponent, they will applaud you and wish you to get better. That’s why it was surprising to see, especially in a place where he has played his best tennis and has won 10 titles, that he got booed after the injury. It was really disrespectful and disappointing,” he said.

Djokovic was looking to win his 11th Australian Open title and his 25th Grand Slam title overall before the injury dashed his hopes.

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Andy Roddick on Novak Djokovic being booed at the 2025 Australian Open: “I didn’t like that, it made me feel icky”

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

While speaking on an episode of the "Served with Andy Roddick" podcast last week, Roddick gave his thoughts on Novak Djokovic being booed off the court after retiring from his semifinal match due to an injury at the 2025 Australian Open.

Roddick expressed his disapproval of the Serb being booed, particularly because the 37-year-old was injured.

“I didn't like it. You can disagree with someone, it’s just booing someone when they’re going off, even if you don’t know if they’re really hurt, you don’t boo. If you suspect they’re not hurt, there's a chance that they’re telling the truth, you don’t boo,” Andy Roddick said.

The former US Open champion found the treatment of the 24-time Grand Slam champion to be distasteful and "icky."

“I’m not telling you to cheer for someone that you don’t want to cheer for, I’m saying there’s a million miles between not being a an out-and-out fan of someone and also booing someone who’s one of the all time greats. You don’t know if you’re going to see them again. I didn’t like that, it made me feel icky on the inside. I didn’t like that,” he added.

Before beginning his campaign at the 2025 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic competed at the Brisbane International, where he faced a surprise defeat to Reilly Opelka in the quarterfinals. Following that he teamed up with Nick Kyrgios for the doubles event, reaching the second round before being eliminated by the top-seeded pair of Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus.