Novak Djokovic pulled out of the Australian Open at the semi-final stage (Image: Getty)
could reportedly miss a “couple of months” with a fresh injury concern after retiring hurt from the semi-finals.
Djokovic had been on course for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, but the Serb was unable to finish his last-four clash against last week.
Djokovic had been struggling with his fitness during his quarter-final victory over and it appears the issue could present a long-term problem for the 37-year-old.
As per a report from ESPN, whose tennis correspondent Chris Fowler consulted with Sports Injury Analyst Marty Jaramillo, Djokovic might not return until the next Slam of the year, the French Open.
It comes after Djokovic hit back at critics who claimed he was faking his injury in order to win the mind games battle.
The tennis ace posted an X-ray of his injury on social media, captioning it: “Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury ‘experts’ out there.”
Analysing the X-Ray, Fowler said: “That’s no joke, that’s a pretty deep tear. That’s in the deepest part of the hamstring and the hamstring is a problem because it’s a big muscle. It’s deep in there, it’s hard to treat it properly. The hamstring doesn’t have great blood flow so it’s harder to treat it than some other muscles.
“You can’t rush a hamstring, you’ve got to be very sure before going back out there. Typically if you’re looking at injuries like that in sports, you’re looking at a couple months.”
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Novak Djokovic’s wait for a 25th Grand Slam goes on (Image: Getty)
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Djokovic had been booed off the court following his first-set retirement against Zverev in Melbourne, but tennis fans might not get to see him in action until the early summer.
Reacting to the news Djokovic could be out of action until May, seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe said: “So he’ll be ready for the French. He said he only cares about majors. Who can blame him at this point?”
But Djokovic has shared doubts over his participation in future Australian Opens, stating he’ll have to assess his schedule and priorities in 2025.
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Speaking after pulling out, he said: “I don’t know. There is a chance. Who knows? I’ll just have to see how the season goes.
“I want to keep going, but whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I’m not sure. I normally like to come to Australia to play.
“I’ve had the biggest success in my career here. So if I’m fit, healthy, motivated, I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come, but there’s always a chance [it is the last time].”