Roger Federer who is known for his kind and composed nature once criticized Novak Djokovic for abruptly retiring from a match in the 2009 Australian Open.
It was the quarterfinal match between Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick when the former retired due to heat stress in Melbourne.
Novak Djokovic was the defending champion and the No.3 seed coming to the tournament. In the quarterfinal, he started well and won the first set, but in the third set, he called for a medical timeout. Though he returned to play, after some time he finally decided to retire in the fourth set. This allowed Andy Roddick to advance to the semifinals where he faced Roger Federer.
In a post-match interview, Federer shared his ‘disappointment’ with the Serbian as it was not the first time that he retired from a match.
“He’s not a guy who has never given up before…..it’s dissapointing. I’ve only done it once in my career………I’m almost in favour of saying, you know what, if you’re not fit enough, just get out of here.”
-Roger Federer in an interview
Novak Djokovic doesn’t tend to flourish in hotter temperatures.
— maddie (@maddiemelb) January 30, 2020
He withdrew from the 2009 Australian Open midway through his quarterfinal due to the heat – he was defending champion.
But watch him lift as that temperature drops. #AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/fiyb46pXe5
Novak Djokovic who was just 21 then had already done it a number of times. In 2006, Djokovic retired from his quarterfinal clash against Rafael Nadal when he was two sets down. Again in the 2007 Wimbledon Open, he abandoned his semifinal clash against Rafael Nadal due to blisters in his toe.
The first incident that Roger Federer was present was a Davis Cup match between Switzerland and Serbia in which Djokovic called for an injury time-out and Federer felt it an unnecessary one. A frustrated Federer further mentioned:
“If Novak were up two sets to love I don’t think he would have retired 4-0 down in the fourth. Thanks to Andy that he retired in the end. Andy pushed him to the limits. Hats off to Andy.”
-Roger Federer in an interview
Three instances when Novak Djokovic retired mid-match against Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
Novak Djokovic who is the current World Champion was known for his medical timeouts during the initial years of his career.
Djokovic retired mid-match on seven occasions between 2005 and 2009. He was seen throwing towels while trailing in a match. But his timeouts did not go well with a lot of tennis players. Three such instances when he called for medical timeouts and retired mid-match against the other two of the ‘Big Three’.
2006 French Open quarterfinal: Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal
Nadal was leading the match 6-4, 6-4 when Djokovic retired due to lower back pain.
2007 Wimbledon semifinal: Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal
A similar condition when Nadal was leading 3-6, 6-1, 4-1 and Djokovic complained about a blister on his toe and back pain.
Monte Carlo Masters Semifinal: Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer
Roger Federer was leading in the Monte Carlo Masters semifinal 6-3, 3-2, when Djokovic retired due to sore throat and dizziness.
