ALEXANDER ZVEREV VS. TOMAS MACHAC | ROUND 2 HIGHLIGHTS | ROLAND-GARROS 2026

 

TOMAS MACHAC VS. JANNIK SINNER | MONTE CARLO 2026

 

NOVAK DJOKOVIC PUBLISHES PROOF OF HIS INJURY IN HOSTILE MESSAGE TO CRITICS AFTER CONTROVERSIAL AUSTRALIAN OPEN EXIT

Djokovic/X

Novak Djokovic responded to critics by sharing an update on the injury that forced him to retire mid-match during his 2025 Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev. Many had accused him of faking the injury.

Djokovic was chasing his 25th Major title in Melbourne, aiming to surpass Margaret Court's record. While not the favorite to win initially, he started strong, defeating Nishesh Basavareddy, Jaime Faria, Tomas Machac, Jiri Lehecka, and Carlos Alcaraz to reach the semifinals, where he faced Zverev.

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After losing the first set 6-7(5) to the German, the former World No. 1 experienced worsening pain in his leg and retired, completely drained. He had already raised concerns during his match against Carlos Alcaraz, where he took an extended medical timeout, and the injury ultimately became a hurdle he couldn't overcome.

Later, Novak Djokovic took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an update, posting a picture of an MRI scan of his left hamstring. In the caption, he wrote:

"Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury “experts” out there."

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John McEnroe among those who questioned Novak Djokovic's Australian Open injury situation.

- Pritha Ghosh

NOVAK DJOKOVIC BEATS JIRI LEHECKA IN STRAIGHT SETS AND WILL FACE CARLOS ALCARAZ IN LAST EIGHT OF AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Novak Djokovic celebrates beating Jiri Lehecka (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP)

Novak Djokovic will take on Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster quarter-final at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

Alcaraz benefited from Jack Draper’s retirement after two sets of their clash before Djokovic defeated Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4).

It will be an eighth meeting overall and fourth at a grand slam between the Serbian and Spaniard, with Djokovic having triumphed in the semi-finals at the French Open in 2023, while Alcaraz has won the last two Wimbledon finals.

Their last meeting came at Roland Garros in the Olympic final last summer, when Djokovic claimed an emotional first gold medal.

His fall in ranking to seventh means this is the earliest stage at a slam they will have done battle, and there is a huge amount on the line for both men.

Their last meeting came at Roland Garros in the Olympic final last summer, when Djokovic claimed an emotional first gold medal.

His fall in ranking to seventh means this is the earliest stage at a slam they will have done battle, and there is a huge amount on the line for both men.

Djokovic is bidding to win a record-breaking 25th slam title while Alcaraz can become the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam.

Djokovic, under the guidance of his long-time rival Andy Murray, began the tournament slowly, dropping sets against unfancied Nishesh Basavareddy and Jaime Faria.

Novak Djokovic gestures to the crowd (Mark Baker/AP)

But he stepped up a level against Tomas Machac in round three, and he played an impressive match against another Czech in 24th seed Lehecka.

The only slight blip came at the start of the third set, when he broke serve only to be broken straight back, while Djokovic again seemed unhappy with the behaviour of some of the crowd.

The 37-year-old refused to do the customary post-match interview, instead taking the microphone to thank fans for coming, prompting loud booing on Rod Laver Arena.

There were plenty of Serbian flags evident in the stands, and it will be interesting to see who the crowd favours when Djokovic takes on Alcaraz

The Spaniard, who has dropped only one set so far, said of the match-up with a smile: “This is not the right player to play in a quarter-final, I guess.

Carlos Alcaraz, left, has won back-to-back Wimbledon finals against Novak Djokovic (Mike Egerton/PA)

“I think in a grand slam, from quarter-finals to the final, those players are the best in the world. If it wasn’t Djokovic in the quarter-final, it could be another player who is in the top of the ranking.

“But, facing Novak, for me it’s not going to change anything if I’m playing him in a quarter-final or semi-final. Probably change a little bit if it is a final, obviously.

“Being in a quarter-final, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see. I know my weapons. I know that I’m able to play good tennis against him, I’m able to beat him.”

The final stages are shaping up to pit the leading players against each other, with second seed Alexander Zverev also making it through.

The German recovered from losing the second set to defeat France’s Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 and will next face 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat a physically hampered Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 6-1.

- Eleanor Crooks in Melbourne

NOVAK DJOKOVIC SHOWS SOLIDARITY WITH SERBIAN STUDENT RUN OVER BY CAR DURING ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS

Novak Djokovic | Image Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic showed his support for the injured Serbian student Sonja Ponjavic, who was run over by a car during the anti-government protests and blockades happening over the past week in Belgrade, Serbia. He did it after his win in the third round of the 2025 Australian Open.

Djokovic sailed through the third round in Melbourne with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over the Czech tennis player Tomas Machac. After which he took to the broadcast camera to leave a heartfelt note for the injured Sonja.

He further expressed his discontentment with this situation at the post-match press conference:

"I'm sending Sonja support, I was shocked when I saw it. I can't believe what's happening to you, what clicks in someone's head to run over another person, even a woman, a young student. I'm against violence, I call for peace."

The capital city of Serbia has been in a state of unrest since the past year due to protests against corruption and malpractices by the government. Djokovic used his platform to spread his message of harmony in the country and called to action against acts of violence against the protestors.

Novak Djokovic has always been outspoken when it comes to socio-political issues, which he cares about. French Open 2023 witnessed another such incident of him taking to the broadcast camera to spread his message of non-violence.

The Serb wrote:

"Kosovo is the (heart symbol) of Serbia. Stop violence."

Djokovic reflected upon his connection with Kosova as his father hailed from the land and how the post-election political unrest was affecting not just the Kosovars but many Serbs stationed in Kosovo as well.

Even after getting a lot of criticism and hatred online with a possible threat of being warned by the tournament organizers, he did not hesitate to maintain a steady stance on this matter.

On the court, however, the Serb has been successful in maintaining his charm with the racket, albeit with a few hiccups occasionally due to his fitness. He has been making light-hearted jokes every now and then about his age as well in the post-match conferences, which helps the fans assume that his fitness issue is nothing major.

Djokovic is ready to take on another Czech, Jiri Lehecka, in the fourth round of the 2025 Australian Open on January 19, Sunday.

- Aatreyi Sarkar

CARLOS ALCARAZ VS. TOMAS MACHAC | SPAIN VS. CZECH REPUBLIC | DAVIS CUP 2024

 

TOMAS MACHAC UPSETS NOVAK DJOKOVIC IN GENEVA OPEN SEMIFINALS

Photo: Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP

 GENEVA -- Novak Djokovic will defend his French Open title in Paris still without a trophy this season after losing in the Geneva Open semifinals Friday.

The 44th-ranked Tomas Machac beat Djokovic 6-4, 0-6, 6-1 in the last clay-court event to prepare for Roland Garros, where main draw play starts Sunday.

"Of course I am worried. I haven't been playing good at all this year," Djokovic said.

His record in 2024 dropped to 14-6 overall and 0-3 in semifinals, including at the Australian Open against Jannik Sinner.

"I don't consider myself a favorite there," the top-ranked Serb said of his chances at Roland Garros, where he has won two of the past three titles and three overall among his men's record 24 Grand Slam singles titles. "I'm going to take it match by match and see how far I can go."

Machac took his first match-point chance, which came on Djokovic's serve, and clinched when Djokovic pushed a backhand long.

It was the fifth time Djokovic had his service broken, and he also made 27 unforced errors.

"If you play against Novak, you just hope and try to play your best and see how it looks," Machac said in an on-court interview.

Djokovic warmly greeted the Czech player at the net and smiled as he walked off court, applauding the fans.

Djokovic took a medical timeout after the first set for a stomach issue.

"It was a terrible feeling with stomach and health today. It was not a great night and today as well," he said. "I don't want to take anything away from his win. He deserved it."

Machac will play his first tour final Saturday against two-time Geneva champion Casper Ruud, the French Open runner-up for the past two years, or the unseeded Flavio Cobolli. Their semifinal did not start on time because of a lengthy rain delay.

- Associated Press 

JANNIK SINNER VS. TOMAD MACHAC | ENTERTAINING MATCH | MIAMI OPEN 2024

 

NOVAK DJOKOVIC THRILLER VS. TOMAS MACHAC | DUBAI OPEN 2023