(Melbourne) Pain and controversy: this is what comes out of Novak Djokovic’s left thigh at the Australian Open, where the Serb found a stratospheric level in the round of 16 after being in agony for two rounds.

“Today I felt no pain,” said the “Djoker” in English on Monday evening, after having rolled 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 Alex De Minaur, himself in ecstasy in front of the game played by the Serb.

“I probably faced a Novak very close to his best level, estimated the Australian. If he keeps that level, I definitely think he’s the guy who will win the title.”

However, given the handicap caused by his thigh against the modest Enzo Couacaud and the experienced Grigor Dimitrov, whom he nevertheless erased in three rounds, no one expected to see Djokovic so physically comfortable, nor so suddenly. .

“The plan was to make him move… It didn’t work out so well for me,” confirmed De Minaur.

“Everyone has seen what has happened in the past two weeks. We only talked about that [la cuisse gauche de Djokovic]. Today I was against him on the court and either I’m not playing well enough to use his weakness or […] he seemed fine to me. He was just too strong in all areas,” he added.

Doubts

The resounding victory also triggered a wave of unwelcome comments on social networks and questions in the media. And, by extension, the anger of Djokovic.

In 2021, here, he was injured in the third round against Taylor Fritz and seemed on the verge of retirement. He had eventually qualified and had played the following rounds with a large plaster visible on his stomach, after explaining that he had torn his abdominal muscles. His final victory had raised doubts about the reality of his injury.

This year, a large bandage encloses his left thigh, but he refuses to disclose the nature of his injury. And his victories also raise doubts.

If he remained very politically correct in front of the foreign press, he was much more vehement in Serbian with the media of his country.

“I let people who doubt do it. Let them continue to doubt! launched Djokovic, according to remarks reported by the Serbian television channel B92.

“But it’s interesting that people only doubt my injury. When someone else is hurt, he is a victim. When it’s me, I’m the player who pretends, “he got carried away.

“The masks will fall”

Without naming him, he was presumably referring to Rafael Nadal, who has suffered in the past two years in particular with a foot and abs, but who was celebrated as a hero when he won the Australian Open 2022 – in the absence of Djokovic expelled from the country for his non-vaccination against COVID-19 – then Roland-Garros.

The Spaniard was praised for his courage again this year in Melbourne, where he refused to give up despite a hip injury which nevertheless condemned him in the second round.

“I don’t feel like I have to prove anything to anyone. I have the imagery from two years ago and from this year, both the MRI and the ultrasound,” said Djokovic, who plans to “make them public”.

Between these two editions, there was his expulsion from Australia in 2022, after being placed in a detention center for a week.

His principled position regarding the anti-COVID-19 vaccination, Djokovic has continued to assume by missing the spring and summer American tours, including the United States Open. And, this year, he should again miss the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami, at least.

But many still criticized him about it and, on Monday, the Serb was still angry with them.

“A lot of masks will fall. Especially the masks dating from the last two years, from situations created during the pandemic. It really interests me to know what the future holds for us, and not just in sport, ”he said somewhat cryptically.

On the tennis level, he claims to be able, out of “habit” now, to transform all these criticisms into motivation. But, decidedly, and to his great displeasure, he will always be the “bad guy” of the “Big Three”.