Novak Djokovic: Injury or tactic? How triumph over Carlos Alcaraz has left tennis world divided

From almost immobile to going toe-to-toe with the best mover in pro tennis, the way Novak Djokovic seemingly shrugging off a serious mid-match left leg injury felt like the stuff of fiction. But was he legitimately hurt? The tennis world is divided.

Is the master manipulator up to his old tricks once again?

Carlos Alcaraz certainly seemed to think so, when the young Spaniard appeared to mock Novak Djokovic by putting on a limp at the change of ends of their quarter-final clash on Wednesday night.

“I don’t know if that was mocking Novak, saying like, ‘I thought you were compromised with your movement’ … and then he was not compromised at all in the third and fourth sets,” queried American tennis great Andy Roddick on his podcast, Served.

“He was moving as well as I’ve seen Novak move in 18 months, maybe two years. So … I’m sure that will have its own heartbeat in the post mortem of this match.”

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Novak Djokovic appeared to suffer a leg injury in the first set, but defeated Carlos Alcaraz in three to booka semi-final spot at the Australian Open. Picture: AFP

Roddick’s ruling rang true, with the tennis world once again divided over whether Djokovic was actually injured or it was all part of the superstar Serbian’s master plan to unsettle Alcaraz.

From almost immobile to going toe-to-toe with the best mover in pro tennis, a 37-year-old Djokovic seemingly shrugging off a serious mid-match left leg injury felt like the stuff of fiction. Yet the whole tennis world watched it happen in real time.

Injuries that would otherwise sound a death knell for any mortal’s chances of victory somehow appear to only slightly – or not at all – hamper the 24-time grand slam champion’s relentless pursuit of excellence.

“For all of us it looked like he was down and out. After the first set you’re going, ‘OK, is this going to get a little weird?’” Roddick said.

“And then all of a sudden he found his motor again. The hip/groin seemed to bother him less as it went on.

“It didn’t often work that way in my career. If I pulled a groin it kind of tended to stay pulled and maybe get worse.”

Questioning the legitimacy of injuries can be a minefield to navigate but in Djokovic’s case, his history gives people reason to pause.

You can just about set your watch to him picking up some kind of serious ailment during the two weeks every January that the travelling tennis circus lands at Melbourne Park.

And just as certain is Djokovic overcoming that ailment to put himself at the pointy end of the tournament.

Last year he appeared to suffer a wrist injury in the United Cup and later claimed to be struggling with illness, but still managed to reach the semi-finals before being beaten by eventual champion Jannik Sinner who went on to have a historic 2024 season.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic leaves the court for a medical timeout. Picture: AFP

In 2023, his most recent Australian Open title, Djokovic revealed he had played the tournament out with a 3cm tear in his hamstring that he first injured at the Adelaide International weeks prior.

His claim was soundly ridiculed in Australia, a country that knows more about hamstring injuries than just about any other given its love for Aussie rules and rugby league, but Djokovic said he had the scans to prove it.

In 2021, Djokovic claimed to have torn an abdominal muscle in his third round win over Taylor Fritz but that did little to hamper his run to the final, where he soundly thumped Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-2 6-2 to lift his ninth Australian Open title.

He later told reporters an MRI revealed the tear grew from 17mm to 25mm during the tournament.

Novak Djokovic celebrates victory against Carlos Alcaraz. Picture: Getty Images

Djokovic’s great rival, Rafael Nadal, who himself tried to battle through an abdominal tear at the 2009 US Open, weighed into the debate claiming: “When you really, really have an injury, it’s impossible to win a tournament like this.”

Whether you take Djokovic’s claims at face value or feel there is some trickery afoot, it all adds to the incredible theatre of the living legend’s reign over Rod Laver Arena.

The lesson for his semi-final opponent Alexander Zverev is crystal clear: don’t let the Djoker get in your head.

Originally published as Novak Djokovic: Injury or tactic? How triumph over Carlos Alcaraz has left tennis world divided