Novak Djokovic's brutal leg injury at Australian Open draws concerning reaction from Andrea Petkovic & Rennae Stubbs

Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs and former WTA pro Andrea Petkovic recently discussed the injury that Novak Djokovic suffered at the 2025 Australian Open. Petkovic, who went through her fair share of physical niggles during her career, believes that the Serb's MRI scan indicated that his injury is quite serious.

Djokovic enjoyed a good run in Melbourne during the first week of the tournament. However, the 37-year-old was seen clutching his knee and took a medical time-out to have the issue tended to during his quarterfinal win against Carlos Alcaraz in the second week. The injury seemingly got worse in his last-four encounter against Alexander Zverev, forcing him to retire after the first set of their encounter.

The 24-time Major winner subsequently took to his X handle to post a picture of his leg's MRI scan to shut down his critics who didn't believe the extent of the injury. Andrea Petkovic and Rennae Stubbs dissected his MRI scan on the latter's podcast and what it meant for his prospects later this season.

Petkovic, a former World No. 9, claimed that Djokovic's knee had built up fluid if the photo he posted was anything to go by, which didn't bode well for his recovery.

"I unfortunately had a lot of MRI pictures to look at (in her career), and when you can see that obviously that much liquid," Andrea Petkovic said on the latest episode of the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast [from 10:12 onwards]. "I'm not a medical person at all. But if you've seen enough of them that when you have a big white blot that is this big, you are f**ked basically."

Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs, said in response to Petkovic that she expected the Serb to be on the sidelines for a minimum of two months. She also insisted that the former World No. 1 could very well go back to using hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to recover faster.

"I would say two months minimally. I don't think he'll come back [soon] but then again, he'll get back in his hyperbaric chamber," Rennae Stubbs said [10:36].

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"Novak Djokovic is getting older but he is different in terms of recovery" - Andrea Petkovic

Novak Djokovic waves after retiring against Alexander Zverev in Melbourne (Source: Getty)

While Andrea Petkovic was apprehensive about Novak Djokovic's current physical condition, the 37-year-old German insisted that the 24-time Major winner would likely put his injury setback behind him and come back stronger.

"That's the thing Novak has. He's like, he is getting older but he is different in terms of recovery," Petkovic said [10:44].

For academic purposes, this isn't the first time Djokovic has suffered a serious injury that required an MRI. The Serb had a 25mm abdominal tear during his Australian Open triumph four years ago. He also won his 10th and most recent title in Melbourne despite suffering from a hamstring tear throughout the tournament.