Tennis
Novak Djokovic’s stance on injury faking accusations is clear after John McEnroe conspiracy theory

Novak Djokovic’s injury during his gripping victory over Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Australian Open has sparked widespread discussion in the tennis world.
Despite the setback, Djokovic secured a remarkable 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win against his 21-year-old opponent. The 37-year-old required treatment for a leg injury when trailing 5-4 in the first set.
Djokovic’s movement was visibly affected late in the opening set and throughout much of the second, as he appeared to struggle with discomfort. However, he adopted an ultra-aggressive playing style to claim the second set, with his mobility and overall performance improving as the match progressed.
During a medical timeout, Djokovic had his left thigh strapped and later revealed that he had taken two doses of medication to manage the pain. The tennis legend admitted that he might have considered retiring from the match if he had not managed to win the second set.
“Well, since I’m still in the tournament I don’t want to reveal too much obviously,” the 24-time major champion winner told Jim Courier in his on-court interview.
“Yeah, the medication started to kick in and they helped, no doubt. I had to take another dose, I mean this sounds awful (laughs), me taking another dose, but I had to.
“I didn’t know, to be honest, if I lost that second set, I don’t know if I would continue playing, but I felt better and better. Managed to play a great couple of games to end up the second set.
“And then I saw that Carlos was hesitant a little bit from back of the court and I took my chances, started to feel better, started to move better. It didn’t create any hinderance towards the end of the match, only in that second set.
“Obviously when the medications start to release, I’ll see what the reality is tomorrow morning. But yeah, right now I will just try to be in the moment and enjoy this victory.”
Commentating on the match for ESPN, McEnroe controversially claimed that Djokovic was tactically feigning injury against Alcaraz.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this routine. Don’t be fooled,” said the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion.
After Djokovic won the second set, McEnroe’s brother and co-commentator Patrick McEnroe asked him in disbelief: “Did you see this coming!?”
“Yes,” the elder McEnroe replied.
Novak Djokovic encountered similar allegations during the 2023 Australian Open, where he overcame a hamstring injury to claim his 10th title at the tournament. Australian doubles legend Todd Woodbridge accused Djokovic of “playing up” the injury.
Following his fourth-round victory against Alex de Minaur in Melbourne, Djokovic addressed the skepticism surrounding his injuries, criticizing the double standards and highlighting that other players are not subjected to the same level of scrutiny.
“I leave the doubting to those people – let them doubt,” the tennis great told Serbian media.
“Only my injuries are questioned. When some other players are injured, then 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.
“I have got the MRI, ultrasound and everything else, both from two years ago and now. Whether I will publish that in my documentary or on social media depends on how I feel. Maybe I will do I it, maybe I won’t.
“I am not really interested at this point what people are thinking and saying. It is fun, it is interesting to see how the narrative surrounding me continues, narrative that is different compared to other players that have been going through similar situations. But I am used to it and it just gives me extra strength and motivation. So I thank them for that.”
While he did not want to give too much away about the injury he suffered against Alcaraz, Djokovic did reveal it was similar to his hamstring issue at the 2023 Australian Open.
“I’m not going to go into details, but it’s very similar to what I had few years ago. 2023, to be exact. I haven’t done any tests obviously,” he explained in his press conference.
“I mean, I’ve done tests with the physio when they took me off the court, when I had the medical timeout. He strapped me, and then the doctor gave me some medication, so forth, some painkillers. That kicked in after 20, 30 minutes. It did help. Then I had to take another dose I think in the beginning of the fourth.
“Yeah, now that it’s cooling off, I can start to feel different things. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow and day by day.”
The Serbian added: “Now it’s really about recovery. I’m concerned. I am, to be honest, physically. But if I manage somehow to, yeah, be physically good enough, I think mentally, emotionally I’m as motivated as I can be.”
Djokovic will play world No 2 Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park on Friday.
Tennis
Tennis tournament plagued by food poisoning as three top stars drop out

The Mexican Open faced a setback on Wednesday as food poisoning led to several top-seeded players withdrawing before or during their matches.
Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul were unable to compete in their last-16 matches, allowing their opponents to advance to the quarter-finals without playing.
Meanwhile, fourth seed Holger Rune managed only three games before retiring, later confirming that he, too, was affected by food poisoning.
“Furious and so sad at the same time. Had a food poisoning and was unable to play today,” the 21-year-old tweeted.
“One of my favorite places is Mexico and I love this tournament @AbiertoTelcel . Absolutely not the way I wanted it to end.”
Third-seeded Tommy Paul withdrew from the Acapulco tournament due to stomach issues, while World No. 5 Casper Ruud revealed he had been dealing with an illness for the past day.
Sharing the news on Instagram, the three-time Grand Slam finalist wrote, “I’m so sorry I had to pull out tonight.”
“I was hoping to overcome this stomach illness that showed up yesterday and tried everything I could to be able to play tonight, until the very last moment.”
The tournament saw more big names exit on Wednesday, as top seed Alexander Zverev was upset in straight sets by teenage qualifier Learner Tien. Reports suggested Zverev may have also been affected by food poisoning.
Rising American talent Alex Michelsen fell to Denis Shapovalov in three sets, calling for a trainer during the match due to what appeared to be an illness.
Meanwhile, fifth seed Ben Shelton was eliminated by David Goffin, though his loss was not believed to be illness-related.
Following the wave of withdrawals and upsets in Acapulco, organizers of the MGM Rewards Slam exhibition in Las Vegas postponed this weekend’s men’s event. Zverev, Ruud, and Paul, who were all scheduled to compete, are now thought to be dealing with food poisoning. Taylor Fritz was also in the lineup but had already pulled out earlier in the week due to an abdominal injury.
The four top players were originally set to face off in Las Vegas on Sunday, but a new date for the event has not been announced. However, the MGM Rewards Slam women’s match between Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka will still take place on Saturday.
Tennis
The 6 women to be ranked at No 1 in singles and doubles at same time

Reaching the No. 1 spot in the WTA singles rankings is an incredible accomplishment—but imagine being the top-ranked doubles player as well. That alone is an impressive feat.
Now, take it a step further—being ranked No. 1 in both singles and doubles at the same time. Only six women in history have achieved this extraordinary milestone, with one of them standing in a league of her own.
Since the WTA Rankings were introduced in 1975, a total of 29 women have held the No. 1 singles ranking, while 49 players have led the doubles rankings. However, only eight players have reached the top in both categories, and just six of them managed to do so simultaneously.
Current singles world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has also achieved the rare singles-doubles No. 1 double, but not at the same time—she reached the top in doubles in 2021 before securing the No. 1 singles ranking in 2024.
Similarly, Venus Williams is missing from the list, as she was No. 1 in doubles from June to August 2010, but her singles No. 1 reign came in 2002.
The 6 women to be ranked at No 1 in singles and doubles at the same time:
5. Kim Clijsters – 3 weeks
Belgian tennis legend Kim Clijsters is a six-time Grand Slam champion, having won four singles titles and two doubles titles in her illustrious career.
She held the No. 1 spot in singles for a total of 20 weeks and topped the doubles rankings for four weeks. Impressively, she was ranked No. 1 in both categories simultaneously for three weeks.
Clijsters achieved this rare feat from August 18 to September 7, 2003.
5. Lindsay Davenport – 3 weeks
Lindsay Davenport sits joint-fifth for holding the world No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles simultaneously for three weeks.
The American first claimed the No. 1 spot in doubles in 1997, followed by her singles No. 1 debut in 1998. However, she achieved the rare singles-doubles No. 1 double from April 17 to May 7, 2000.
A three-time Grand Slam singles champion and three-time doubles major winner, Davenport spent a total of 98 weeks as the world No. 1 in singles and 32 weeks atop the doubles rankings.
4. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario – 7 weeks
Spanish legend Arantxa Sánchez Vicario achieved the rare feat of holding the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles on three separate occasions.
In total, she spent 111 weeks as the world No. 1 in doubles and 12 weeks at the top in singles.
Her first singles-doubles No. 1 stint lasted one week in February 1995 (13-19), followed by a two-week reign from March 27 to April 9. She then had her longest stretch, four weeks from May 15 to June 11, cementing her place among the sport’s elite.
3. Serena Williams – 8 weeks
Tennis icon Serena Williams amassed an incredible 23 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 doubles major titles, all won alongside her sister Venus Williams. She also completed both the singles and doubles Career Grand Slam.
Williams held the world No. 1 singles ranking for 319 weeks, the third-most in WTA history behind Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova. In doubles, she spent eight weeks at No. 1, all between June 7 and August 1, 2010, a period when she was also the top-ranked singles player.
2. Martina Hingis – 29 weeks
Martina Hingis ranks fifth all-time for the most weeks spent as world No. 1 in singles, holding the top spot for 209 weeks. She also enjoyed 90 weeks as the No. 1 doubles player.
The Swiss star won a total of five Grand Slam singles titles, 13 women’s doubles titles, and seven mixed doubles titles, with a career spanning from January 1997 to September 2017.
Hingis achieved the rare feat of being No. 1 in both singles and doubles simultaneously on five separate occasions. Her first stint lasted eight weeks from June 8 to August 2, 1998, followed by another eight-week period from August 17 to October 11.
In 1999, she topped both rankings for four weeks (June 7 – July 4) and again for two weeks (August 9-22). Her final seven-week reign at the top of both rankings occurred from January 31 to March 19, 2000.
1. Martina Navratilova – 103 weeks
Martina Navratilova cemented her legacy as one of tennis’ greatest players, winning 59 Grand Slam titles—18 in singles, 31 in women’s doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles.
She dominated the No. 1 rankings, spending 332 weeks atop the singles list (second only to Steffi Graf’s 377 weeks) and holding the No. 1 doubles spot for a record 237 weeks.
Navratilova was the first player to achieve the remarkable feat of being No. 1 in both singles and doubles simultaneously, and her reigns were nothing short of historic. Her first stint lasted an incredible 39 weeks, from September 10, 1984, to June 9, 1985. She briefly returned to the top in both rankings for two weeks (October 14-27, 1985).
Her third spell was the most dominant, as she held both No. 1 rankings for over a year, from June 9, 1986, to August 16, 1987—a record-breaking reign.
Tennis
Novak Djokovic told ’emotional’ issue which ‘usually never happened’ has emerged

Former world No. 21 Steve Johnson has raised doubts about Novak Djokovic’s “plan,” questioning the Serbian’s decision to compete at the Qatar Open.
Djokovic suffered a 7-6(4), 6-2 defeat to Matteo Berrettini in the first round of the ATP 500 event in Doha last week. His participation in Qatar came shortly after a hamstring tear forced him out of the Australian Open.
The 37-year-old sustained the injury during his quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne but was unable to continue past the opening set of his semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev.
Despite Djokovic insisting he felt fine following his early exit in Doha, a video surfaced showing him limping at the airport.
With his sights set on a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and his 100th career singles title in 2025, Djokovic’s recent form has raised concerns. Speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Johnson noted that the world No. 7 has appeared emotionally flat more frequently in recent times.
“I am not sure what Novak’s plan is going forward, nobody knows it but him,” the American said. “I don’t know why he is playing this tournament just in general.
“It feels like he just wants to win Slams to continue his legacy and stamp as the greatest champion of the sport we have ever seen.
“There is obviously financial obligations and commitments he has made in the past, we don’t know exactly what it takes for him to play these types of events.
“It just feels as if he is not as motivated to win in Dubai or Doha than he is to win a Slam, which is rightfully so, because that’s the only thing which can further his legacy.
“Good to see him out there playing, I thought we weren’t going to see him until Indian Wells and just play some of the Masters series to win the French [Open], win Wimby [Wimbledon]. So interesting to see him out there.
“It sometimes feels that he is a bit flat emotionally, which has usually never been the case for him.
“So he has earned the right to play whatever schedule he deserves and wants to do.
“It’s a tough draw going against Berrettini who played really well that match, the serve, the forehand. Everything was going well.
“So it’s just interesting to watch Novak in these events because the Doha title is not going to further his legacy, so I’m not sure his emotional investment.”
-
Tennis1 week ago
‘Fixated’ man banned from tennis events after reducing Emma Raducanu to tears
-
English Premier League2 months ago
Arsenal ‘agree terms’ with Premier League forward, could cost over £50m
-
English Premier League3 weeks ago
Real Madrid have decided they want to sign Arsenal star in a record-breaking transfer deal
-
Tennis3 months ago
Jimmy Connors shares honest opinion on Novak Djokovic hiring Andy Murray as coach
-
Tennis3 months ago
Andy Murray expected to miss Novak Djokovic’s first tournament of 2025
-
Tennis3 months ago
Andy Murray showcases his acting skills in a new TV commercial, portraying a fugitive on the run.
-
English Premier League2 months ago
Arsenal to sign “world-class” £58m “machine” who could be their own Gyokeres
-
English Premier League3 months ago
West Ham Board Split Could Save Lopetegui