With the boos and whistles that greeted their premature departure from Rod Laver Arena, without a doubt resonating in their ears, it was too soon, said Novak Djokovic, to contemplate the future.
However, the questions about what follows for the 37 -year -old, after he was forced to withdraw due to an injury to a set of his semifinal of the Australian Open against Alexander Zverev, are many and pressing.
Only two years have passed since Djokovic, overwhelmed by the emotion, claimed a tenth title in Melbourne Park, celebrating loudly with his family and his team after burying the memories of the deportation drama of the previous year.
However, it seems that it was eternity.
His recovery capacity is legendary, but for once Djokovic could not challenge medical logic, unable to get rid of the injury in the groin he suffered during his victory in the quarterfinals over Carlos Alcaraz, who had prevented him from practicing during the two days . before facing Zverev.
And however unthinkable it seems, the impression that time and tide grows can finally be reaching the Serbian superman. Of course, it is too early to rule out the prospects of a player who has forged one of the best races in the history of sport, but his growing susceptibility to injuries is undeniable.
There were boos and whistles in the middle of the applause for Novak Djokovic while leaving Rod Laver Arena after retiring against Alexander Zverev in Melbourne Park.
The ten times champion of the Australian Open was comforted by Zverev later, and the German criticized the crowd for his mixed reaction to the premature conclusion of the party.
Djokovic, who was disconsolate at his press conference, refused to rule out the possibility that he had made his last appearance in Melbourne Park.
Four years ago, Djokovic won in Melbourne as he suffered an abdominal tear, while in 2023 he claimed the title despite playing the entire fortnight with an injury to the tendon of the corva he suffered in Adelaida before the tournament.
Djokovic's ability to challenge clinical reason was further magnified last summer, when he jumped out of the canvas, just a month after undergoing surgery due to a meniscus tear in the right knee, to reach the final of Wimbledon.
However, that victory was the best of three sets, and it is legitimate to ask if Djokovic, whose last victory in a Grand Slam was in the US Open of 2023, still has the physical durability to compile a streak of seven consecutive games to the best of five. He achieved Victorias, something he will need if he wants to ensure the 25th Major that would move him away from Margaret Court, the great Australian with whom he currently shares the record of all time.
'The injuries are the greatest enemy of a professional athlete,' Djokovic acknowledged after his last setback. “It's not that now I am worrying about each Grand Slam, if I'm going to injure or not.
But in a way the statistics of recent years are against me. It is true that (I have been) injuring a lot (during the) last years.
'I don't know what the reason is exactly, maybe they are several different factors. But I will continue, I will continue to strive to win more Slams. ”
In that sense, Djokovic is at a situation similar to that of Serena Williams, who won the last of his 23 majors in the Australian Open of 2017, but in the end he remained terribly far from matching the Court's record, losing each one of his last four Grand Slam finals.
Djokovic fulfilled the ambition of his life when he won the Olympic gold last summer, defeating Alcaraz in the Roland Garros final only a few weeks after undergoing surgery in his right knee.
But Djokovic could not find a way to overcome Alcaraz, left, three weeks before in the Wimbledon final, and has faced an increasing catalog of injuries in the last years of his career.
Djokovic aggravated a knee injury against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in the France Open last summer and was forced to withdraw from the quarterfinals before undergoing surgery.
The harsh reality for Djokovic is that, after having been eliminated from the quarterfinals of the France Open last year due to a knee injury, two of its last four Grand Slam outings have occurred by removal or withdrawal force .
Djokovic will be painfully aware of that history, as will be increasingly aware of the danger of the young base.
Dominated by Jannik Sinner, the number one of the Italian world, for almost a set of the defeat in the semifinals of the Australian Open last year (the first of his career at that stage of the tournament), Djokovic was surpassed by Alcaraz on SW19 and dominated By Alexei. Popyrin in the third round of the US Open, his first defeat in a major since 2017.
However, once again, it would be reckless to rule out a man who, again and again, has redefined the limits of the possibilities of sport.
As demonstrated by his shocking decision to form a coach society with his former rival Andy Murray, who knows more than most of how to handle physical challenges at the end of his career, Djokovic's appetite for a greater glory remains intact.
What is not so clear is if you can still gather the physical strength to match a level that, as was clear against Alcaraz, is still up to the best in the game.
With that goal in mind, Djokovic hinted that he could reduce his commitments during the next year.
“I want to move on,” he said after retiring against Zverev. “But I'm not sure whether I am going to have a revised or not calendar for next year.”
Djokovic won the most recent of his 24 Grand Slam titles in the United States Open in 2023, drawing with Margaret Court on the list of all time. It remains to be seen if you can eclipse the milestone.
Djokovic won the Australian Open in 2023 despite suffering an injury to the corva tendon on the eve of the tournament. But his famous ability to recover from an injury seems to be diminishing.
It is debatable how much maneuver margin has Djokovic in that regard. He has adopted a relatively light calendar in the twilight phase of his career (last season he played only 10 individual events) and there seems to be a limited margin to further reduce his workload.
Since the Grand Slams are the priority, getting rid of the brilliant swing of Indian Wells and Miami could be an option, since both are played on hard courts and the two majors that follow them are in clay and grass.
It also remains to be seen how much emphasis will put Djokovic in setting up a challenge arranged in Roland Garros since, according to himself, he usually requires more clay preparation time to find his best level.
If Djokovic wants to eclipse Court once and for all, his best chance could arrive on the grass of the All England Club, where an eighth title this summer would allow him to match Roger Federer's male record.
Given the way Murray left the scene of some of his greatest wins last year, when a mixed double farewell campaign did not come to fruition after the withdrawal of Emma Raducanu, an attempt to reach glory in Wimbledon would be loaded with Importance for both men.
However, not even the continuation of his alliance with Murray – “We do not talk about future steps (still),” said Djokovic – or, apparently, a return to the Australian Open, come with guarantees.
“I don't know, there is a possibility,” said Djokovic when asked if he had played in Melbourne Park for the last time. 'Who knows?'
While Djokovic looks to the future, this is simply the last question that adds to a growing pile.