Emma McKeon echoes Alexander Zverev's message with 1-word reaction as tennis star urges fans to stop booing Novak Djokovic after injury retirement

Emma McKeon reacted to Alexander Zverev’s message, where he urged fans to show respect for Novak Djokovic's remarkable contributions to tennis. This came after a section of the crowd at the 2025 Australian Open booed the 24-time Grand Slam singles winner after he retired from the semi-finals due to a groin injury.

Following Djokovic's retirement from the match due to the injury, Zverev progressed to the finals of the Grand Slam event. Despite advancing to the finals, Alexander Zverev expressed disappointment with the fans’ behavior and called them out during a post-event interview. He said:

“The very first thing I want to say is, please, guys, don't boo a player when he goes out with injury. I know that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to see, hopefully a great five-set match and everything. But you got to understand, Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given the sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life.”

“And he has won this tournament with an abdominal tear. He has won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he cannot continue a tennis match, it really means he cannot continue a tennis match. So, please be respectful. And really show some love for Novak as well,” he also stated.

After the empathetic appeal by the German tennis star, Emma McKeon shared her reaction with a one-word message via her Instagram story, writing:

“Absolutely.”

Emma McKeon’s story - Source: via @emmamckeon on Instagram

It is worth noting that McKeon, the most decorated Australian Olympian, once shared her desire to inspire the younger generation.

Emma McKeon weighs in on how she hopes to inspire young Australians to follow their passion

Emma McKeon at Tokyo Olympics (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

After being named 'Young Australian of the Year' at the 2024 Australian of the Year Awards, Emma McKeon shared her thoughts on how she hopes to inspire the younger generation to follow their dreams. In an interaction with Australian National University (ANU) alumna Alicia Lillington, she said:

“I guess I've worked so hard for so long, and I've learned so many things along the way as well. I've learned from incredible people as well and I want to be able to share that with other people. And like, I was once a young athlete.” [10:17 onwards]

“As I got older, I watched the 2004 Olympics, understood more about what it was about and that grew again. I had some great role models to look up to. I mean, someone like Susie [O'Neill] and then Jody Henry in 2004, watching them on TV, the way they conducted themselves, and like, they were just incredible role models to have. And so I was so lucky that I had that. And so I hope that I can be that for other young people and athletes coming through as well,” she also mentioned.

She further shared how she hoped to motivate people to have big dreams, continuously strive to achieve them, and make them understand that obstacles will arise. However, she mentioned that they have to keep moving forward.