Novak Djokovic’s career has been defined by remarkable physical resilience, especially when compared to a fellow legend like Rafael Nadal, who has dealt with far more injuries. However, 2025 has not started as smoothly for the Serbian icon, particularly in terms of his health.
At the 2025 Australian Open, the Serbian star was forced to withdraw from his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev due to a muscle injury in his left leg, after loosing the first set.
The issue had been lingering since his quarterfinal clash with Carlos Alcaraz, a match he managed to win despite his discomfort. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue in the following round against Zverev.
Amid this setback, Rennae Stubbs, who is well-versed in analyzing elite players, voiced her concerns about Djokovic’s recurring injuries. The Serbian star managed to recover in time to compete in the Qatar Open but suffered an unexpected first-round exit to Italian Matteo Berrettini.
Matteo Berrettini of Italy shakes hands with Novak Djokovic of Serbia after winning his round of 32 match at the ATP Qatar. (IMAGO / Naushad)
Stubbs raises alarms on Djokovic’s health
“I know he’s had his issues at the start of this year in Australia with the leg. He’s struggling with injuries over the last couple of years now with the knee, with the leg,” Stubbs said on a recent episode of her podcast. “Novak has bounced back better than most, better than probably anyone. But this is starting to be a little bit of an issue now, not winning matches”.
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“And then when you haven’t played for a while, then you come back and you’re older,” she continued. “When you go and play a match, you’re pushing yourself more, you’re doing a little more, you’re more nervous, your body’s more uptight. And he’s struggling more and more and more”.
Djokovic shuts down injury talk
Despite the growing narrative surrounding his health, Djokovic addressed the media after his surprising loss to Berrettini, denying any injury-related issues. He acknowledged that he wasn’t at his best but credited his opponent for a stronger performance.
“I didn’t have any pain or discomfort in that sense. I was outplayed by just a better player today,” Djokovic said in his post-match interview. “I wasn’t at my desired level, and it could be that I’m still not moving the way I want to move, but, I mean, I played without pain, so there is no excuse in that”.
