Novak Djokovic came from behind to beat Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open (Image: GETTY)
was quick to play down the possibility of Novak Djokovic faking an injury during their quarter-final clash at the .
The veteran Serb came from behind to secure a thrilling four-set victory and maintain his hopes of winning the first Grand Slam of the year.
In the early stages of the match, Djokovic needed a medical timeout after pulling up on his leg and grimacing in pain. He left the court with the physio and returned with strapping on his upper thigh.
Djokovic needed a medical timeout after appearing to injure his left leg (Image: GETTY)
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John McEnroe, who was commentating on the match, .
However, the Spaniard brushed off any conspiracy theories in his post-match press conference by insisting that his opponent was clearly hurt.
“I think everybody saw in the second set he was struggling a little bit [with] moving,” said Alcaraz.
“I don’t know if it was more running to the forehand or running to backhand, but obviously he was struggling. Then the third and fourth set, I didn’t see anything bad from him. So I’m not saying, like, he made a show.
“I’m just saying that, I don’t know, it’s obvious and everybody saw it that he was struggling in the second set. Then the third and fourth set he showed he was really good.”
Djokovic, meanwhile, admitted that he considered retiring from the match and raised concerns over his recovery for the semi-finals.
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: “The medication started to kick in and that helped, no doubt. I had to take another dose. This sounds awful, me taking another dose, but I had to.
“I didn’t know, to be honest, if I lost the second set I didn’t know if I would continue playing. But I felt better and better, managed to play a great couple of games to end the second set.”
“Obviously when the medication starts to release, I’ll see what the reality is tomorrow morning. But right now I’ll just try to be in the moment and enjoy this victory.”
Djokovic is due to face in the semi-finals on Friday and will have the luxury of an extra day off, with the 37-year-old needing all the rest time he can get.
“I guess the key is recovery for me now,” added Djokovic. “To be honest, that’s all I’m thinking about. The extra day with no match comes at the perfect time for me. Let’s see if it’s going to be good enough on Friday.”