AUSTRALIAN OPEN
It has recently come to light that during the semi-final of the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic suffered a tough defeat against eventual champion Jannik Sinner, marking his first loss in Melbourne since 2018. Djokovic, who was not in good health, described the match as “one of the worst Grand Slam performances” he had ever played after losing 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), and 6-3, where he had no break opportunities.
It has now been revealed that Djokovic was unwell and had a fever the night before the game, although he reportedly “refused” to see a doctor.
According to Serbian journalist Luka Nikolic, Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, was battling the flu. Nikolic shared this information on the Reketiranje podcast, stating, “He had a fever the night before the semifinals. Something similar to what Alexander Zverev had. He was sick for three weeks, but a virus caught him again.” Nikolic also explained that Djokovic “declined” a visit to the doctor to avoid the media learning about his illness.
He added, “Some colds get worse… It can’t be combined well with the temperature. He didn’t want to go to the doctor so that journalists wouldn’t break the news and create a scandal. That’s why he played so poorly in the first two sets; it was evident that he was weak and couldn’t perform well.”