John McEnroe has blasted the Australian Open crowd for booing Novak Djokovic following the 37-year-old’s exit from the competition on Friday.
The tennis icon had gone into the showdown willing to play through the pain, having suffered a muscle injury during his four-set triumph over Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the week.
But Djokovic, after losing the first set, opted to quit the match – much to the dismay of those in attendance.
Fans at the Australian Open booed the 10-time winner as he made his way off the court, something that’s sparked a huge backlash online.
Novak Djokovic pulled out of his Australian Open match with Alexander Zverev on Friday
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And McEnroe, commenting for Australia’s Nine network, was left stunned by their antics.
“They can’t possibly be booing him. Please!” he stated.
“He’s won this 10 times. I mean, come on. I mean, clearly something was up.
“The guy is a battler. I mean, him and Rafa [Nadal] have dug deeper than any two players I have seen.
“So to do that [boo], because he decided that he couldn’t go on after what he’s done here I thought was absolutely ludicrous, honestly.”
McEnroe wasn’t the only pundit left stunned by the crowd’s decision to jeer Djokovic as he walked away, potentially for the last time.
Former Australian Open tennis star John Millman was also unhappy, with the 35-year-old adding: “The crowds have been questioned a lot and rightly so.
“I just think it’s a bit of a shambles, some of the behaviour has crossed the line and that one takes the cake for me.
“This is a guy who has won it 10 times, have some respect.
“He is one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest — he’s definitely the greatest on this court.
“I don’t care how much you’ve paid for your ticket, have some respect.”
With Djokovic out, Alexander Zverev is now through to the Australian Open final.
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John McEnroe has blasted the Australian Open crowd for booing Novak Djokovic following the 37-year-old’s exit from the competition on Friday
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The German will do battle with either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton when the event kicks off on Sunday.
And Zverev also criticised the Australian Open crowd for jeering Djokovic, with the 27-year-old fuming: “Please, guys, don’t boo a player who leaves the court due to injury. I know that everyone paid to be here and hopes to see a great five-set match.
“But you have to understand that Novak Djokovic has given his all to this sport for 20 years.”
He continued: “There is no one I respect more on the tour than Novak.
Novak Djokovic was hailed by Alexander Zverev following his Australian Open withdrawal
REUTERS
“I have always been able to send him a message, call him when things were not going well.
“He has helped me a lot. Last year in Shanghai, when things were really not going well after the US Open, we talked for hours.”