Australian Open 2025: Novak Djokovic, groin injury, future, Jim Courier, John Millman comments

Two-time grand slam champion Jim Courier believes Novak Djokovic needs to modify his schedule to help him prioritise the four majors and the ATP Tour's biggest tournaments.

Seeking his 25th grand slam title, Djokovic's Australian Open campaign ended abruptly on Friday when he retired injured from his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev.

With scepticism surrounding the injury, Djokovic posted a picture of the MRI taken of his left hamstring the day after his exit.

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Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. Getty

While Djokovic's exact diagnosis was not clear to the sports injury "experts" he was aiming to silence, it has since been explained that the scan showed a groin strain and partial tear.

The injury is normally associated with a six-week recovery time.

After Djokovic said "there is a chance" this could have been his last Australian Open, Courier was asked what the Serbian's future in the sport holds.

"He should feel good about the level of tennis that he played. He beat [third seed Carlos] Alcaraz here, that's got to bouy him with confidence about his tennis," he told Wide World of Sports' The Morning Serve.

"The concern for him now is how does he maintain his health. He's a guy who requires his physicality to perform and obviously, that's the disappointment for him as he wasn't able to play through the injury this time."

Former grand slam quarter-finalist John Millman agreed that Djokovic still has the level to beat the best players in the world.

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Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the third set against Carlos Alcaraz during their quarter-final match at the Australian Open. Getty

"There are a lot of positives to take out of this tournament — the fact that his level was right up there," he said.

"[Djokovic] said he'll keep playing tennis until he feels like he can no longer compete at this level. I think he's proven that he still can, he's just got to make sure his body is alright."

That Djokovic is 37 years old and Father Time is undefeated ensures that questions over his future will be continuous.

He was born a week apart from British champion Andy Murray who retired following last year's Olympic Games.

In May, Djokovic will turn 38, the same age as Rafael Nadal who also retired from professional tennis last year.

"He's been that type of player who has defied his age by how well he has looked after his body," Millman said.

Djokovic has refined his schedule in recent years but he may need to rethink his lead-in to the four grand slams in future.

"I think you could certainly do that, you could play less but then there is an argument also that you need to be match fit and you can't really get that way on the practice court," Courier said of Djokovic playing fewer tournaments.

"This guy has so much experience, far be it for me to tell him how to manage a schedule. He's got to manage a bunch of different things with his family and all that [too].

"But I think, in my mind, I would say that if you're going to play less, you still need to play a little bit before the majors so your body is battle-tested."

Millman also suggested remodelling his training to prevent injury.

"He said that he's going to prioritise the grand slams, that doesn't mean just rolling out for the grand slams," he said.

"It's about making sure that you're peaking there and that might involve a slightly easier schedule but you have to go in under match conditions to get that resistance and robustness built up."

Djokovic won Australian Open titles with an abdominal tear and hamstring tear in 2021 and 2023 respectively, but conceded that the pain caused by the adductor tear was too much to manage this time around.

The former world No.1 is renowned for his radical views on health and wellness, including his "energetic disc" which he takes everywhere with him to treat pain and inflammation.

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