Fans recently reacted to Caroline Garcia’s questioning of Novak Djokovic being written off following his defeat at the 2024 Australian Open.
Djokovic’s hopes of securing a record-extending 11th Melbourne Slam title were shattered when he suffered a defeat in the semifinals, losing 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 to the eventual champion, Jannik Sinner.
The defeat not only prevented the World No. 1 from claiming his 25th Major but also brought an end to his remarkable 33-match winning streak at the Australian Open.
Following the match, several fans and critics began to doubt the Serb’s ability to be the best player on the Tour. In light of this criticism, French tennis player Caroline Garcia took to social media to question those who were dismissing Novak Djokovic based on the result of a single tournament.
“I was scrolling a bit and basically Djokovic was the GOAT 2 weeks ago, still so young, moving so well beyond this age, going for another Slam once again, a true inspiration. And now he is too old, we are in a complete new era, he is finished for tennis … this is funny,” Garcia posted on X (formerly Twitter)
One fan drew a parallel between the current situation surrounding Djokovic and the twilight phase of Serena Williams’ career when her ability to be one of the top players was questioned. The fan also raised concern about Garcia’s silence in the face of the scrutiny Williams endured.
“The same narrative Serena got that all of y’all were noticeably silent for,” a fan posted on X.
Another fan pointed out that years before his eventual retirement, Roger Federer had also encountered similar scrutiny to what the 24-time Grand Slam winner is currently facing.
“Well, that‘s what Roger Federer was also confronted with, 10 years before his actual retirement!” the fan posted.
