"It’s a no brainer" - Novak Djokovic's injury at Australian Open was genuine, declares Paul McNamee, calls Serb 'best player' in the world right now
Paul McNamee is the latest name to show support for Novak Djokovic amidst allegations of the latter faking a hamstring injury at the recently-concluded 2023 Australian Open.
The Serb suffered pain in his left hamstring during the semi-finals of the Adelaide International 1 against Daniil Medvedev ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year. Playing in Melbourne after two years, he strapped his leg and asked for medical timeouts throughout the tournament.
On Sunday, January 29, Djokovic outperformed Stefanos Tsitsipas to win his tenth Australian Open title, also equaling Rafael Nadal's 22 Grand Slams in the Open Era men's record. Some fans have raised doubts over the authenticity of the injury since then, given that the 35-year-old played at an extremely high level and lost just one set in seven matches.
In light of that, former doubles World No. 1 McNamee took to social media to defend and praise the 22-time Grand Slam champion, saying that Djokovic's on-court movement was the worst that he had seen. The 68-year-old added that the Serb won only because he was a cut above the rest.
"For the record, I’ve never seen Djokovic move that badly, or go for so many winners… it’s a no brainer he was carrying an injury, but he was dedicated enough and good enough to overcome it. How? By being the best player right now by a good margin," McNamee tweeted.
For the record, I’ve never seen Djokovic move that badly, or go for so many winners … it’s a no brainer he was carrying an injury, but he was dedicated enough and good enough to overcome it. How? By being the best player right now by a good margin
Meanwhile, Australian Open director Craig Tiley recently revealed that he saw scans of the World No. 1 himself and that he really played with a three-centimeter tear in his hamstring throughout the fortnight in Melbourne.
"This guy had a three-centimeter tear in his hammy. I saw the scans. The doctors are going to tell you the truth,” Tiley said. “There was a lot of speculation about whether it was true or not, it’s hard to believe that they can do what they do with those kinds of injuries. He’s remarkable, to deal with it extremely professionally."
Novak Djokovic hits back at his critics accusing him of faking injury
In his press conference after his fourth-round match against Alex de Minaur, Novak Djokovic strongly criticized those who were saying that he was faking his hamstring injury.
The Serb stated that tennis fans only doubted his injuries and not other players, adding that allegations like this only motivated him further to raise his level.
“Only my injuries are questioned. When some other players are injured, they are the victims, but when it is me, I am faking it. It is very interesting. I don’t feel that I need to prove anything to anyone," he said.
"I have got the MRI, ultrasound, and everything else, both from two years ago and now. Whether I publish that in my documentary or on social media depends on how I feel. Maybe I will do it, maybe I won’t. I am used to it and it just gives me extra strength and motivation. So I thank them for that.”