Novak Djokovic has issued a classy response to the storm around his Australian Open exit, admitting he can understand (to an extent) why fans booed him off court on Friday. Djokovic called it quits after losing the first set of his semi-final clash with Alexander Zverev, and later revealed he tore his hamstring in the quarters against Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic said he knew it was a mountain too high to climb after dropping the first set and therefore had to retire hurt. There were ugly scenes as the 10-time Australian Open champion left the court, with a number of spectators booing loudly to show their displeasure.

With tickets starting at $300 and going up to $1000 for the semi-final, fans were clearly unhappy they didn’t get bang for buck with just one set of play. Tennis fans and commentators have condemned those who booed, but Djokovic revealed in his post-match press conference that he can understand where fans were coming from.

People have come, they paid for the tickets expecting a great match and a big fight, which they didn’t get,” he said. “From that perspective, I can understand. I am doing my best to understand them, but I am not sure whether they understand me or if they even want to understand me.

“I know how my body works, what I feel, and I know how much I’ve given to this tournament in the past 20-plus years. I will stop here, so that I don’t continue in the wrong direction.”

John Millman and Jelena Dokic slam booing fans

Discussing the situation on Channel 9 after the match, John Millman and Jelena Dokic both said the booing was wrong. Millman pointed out the poor crowd behaviour all throughout the tournament, and he said it crossed a line on Friday.

“The crowds have been questioned a lot and rightly so. I mean, I just think it’s a bit of a shambles,” Millman. “Some of the behaviour has crossed the line and that one takes the cake for me.

“I mean, this is a guy who’s won it 10 times. Have some respect. He’s one of the all-time greats, if not the greatest to play. He’s definitely the greatest to play on this court. I don’t care how much you’ve spent on your ticket – have some respect.”

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Some of the booing is believed to be about the fact Djokovic didn’t even call a medical timeout before retiring. But Dokic said there’s no way Djokovic would have retired hurt unless he was absolutely sure he couldn’t continue.

“We’ve seen Djokovic in his career when he’s had injuries, he’s played through them,” Dokic said. “He’s continued in the tournament and gone on and hasn’t retired. Only a really heavy knee injury at the French Open took him out last year when he couldn’t play the quarter-final. So if he decided he couldn’t play, he really couldn’t play.”

Millman also took to social media to label the booing a “disgrace”, and so did Aussie great Rennae Stubbs. “I don’t care what u think of Novak Djokovic, love him or hate him,” Stubbs wrote. “If you booed him off the court today, you’re a disgrace. That man has literally left his heart & soul on that court. He’s our greatest champion in Melbourne and he’s injured! Think about what you just did. Disgraceful!!”

Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner in Australian Open final

Many said they were embarrassed by the poor behaviour from members of the crowd throughout the whole tournament, including booing players and cheering their errors when playing against Aussies. Danielle Collins was booed when playing Destanee Aiava, while Jack Draper had to overcome some poor fan behaviour in matches against against Thanasi Kokkinakis and Aleksandr Vukic.

Meanwhile, Zverev will face Jannik Sinner in Sunday night’s final. World No.1 Sinner proved too good for Ben Shelton in the other semi-final, winning 7-6 (2) 6-2 6-2.