Novak Djokovic was booed off court after his Australian Open semi-final was cut short due to injury, and his Davis Cup captain issued a passionate defense.

Novak Djokovic was booed at the Australian Open (Image: Getty Images)

Serbia’s Davis Cup captain Viktor Troiki has come out swinging in defense of Novak Djokovic after the tennis star faced boos from the crowd at the Australian Open.

Djokovic retired during his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev, following a loss in the first set, resulting in a walkover for the German player. The move came after John McEnroe had accused Djokovic of overstating his hamstring injury, which he had sustained during an intense quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz – a claim that clearly riled fans as Djokovic hobbled off the Rod Laver Arena.

In retaliation to his critics, the 37-year-old posted an MRI image on social media showing a muscle tear, with the caption: “Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury ‘experts’ out there.”

However, that wasn’t the only controversy involving the Serbian icon, who also skipped an interview with Channel Nine after commentator Tony Jones made a derisive remark about his career and his fans. To the booing fans, he jested: “Novak, he’s overrated … Novak’s a has-been. Novak, kick him out.”

Fired up, Troiki argued that booing an injured player is not the norm in any sport, including soccer, where even rival fans would show respect and wish an injured athlete well. He told BolaVIP: “They were booing him after the injury, which I don’t think happens in any sport.

“It was surprising and disappointing to see him booed after the injury, especially in a place where he has played his best tennis and won 10 titles. It was really disrespectful,” commented an observer on Djokovic’s situation.

Troiki, speaking about Jones who issued an apology, he added: “There was the situation around Channel Nine, which I noticed as well. If I had hired that journalist, I would have fired him straight away. He would never work in sports again.”

The duration of Djokovic’s absence remains uncertain, but he has had to pull out from the Davis Cup tie with Denmark this weekend. Despite this setback, his captain remains confident that his team can triumph over their hosts in Copenhagen.

Viktor Troicki was furious was Novak Djokovic’s treatment (Image: Getty Images)

“We are weakened by not playing Novak, but we are still going for the win,” he asserted. “The Danes have a great player in Holger Rune, but our players are also great and I believe in my team.”

Djokovic has hinted at possible retirement this year if his health issues persist. Following his Australian Open exit, he expressed uncertainty about whether he had made his last appearance at the Grand Slam.

Currently, he shares Margaret Court’s record for the most Slam titles in history with 24. His next chance to surpass the record is expected to be at the French Open in late May and June, although his participation at Roland Garros now seems uncertain.