Novak Djokovic retires from Australian Open Semifinal due to injury

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Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record 25th Grand Slam title has been cut short at the Australian Open after he stunningly withdrew from his semi-final match with a left leg injury.

Djokovic played against world no. 2 Alexander Zverev in Melbourne on Friday, and the two had been neck and neck for much of the first set. Serbia had favored his left foot throughout the match.

However, despite appearing to struggle with his movement, the match went into a first-set tiebreaker where he eventually lost 7-6 (5) after an overwhelming one hour and 21 minutes.

The crowd at Rod Laver Arena was visibly stunned as the two players shook hands and embraced at the net after the set. Djokovic waved to the crowd as he walked off court, with some booing him, while Zverev sat on the bench in disbelief at the result.

“The very first thing I want to say is: Please, guys, don’t boo a player when he goes out with an injury,” Zverev told the crowd after the match. “I know everyone paid for tickets and everyone wants to see a hopefully five-set match and everything, but you have to understand Novak Djokovic has given the sport for the last 20 years absolutely everything in his life.

“He’s won this tournament with an abdominal tear, he’s won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he can’t continue a tennis match, it really means he can’t continue a tennis match. So please be respectful and really show some love to Novak. ”

Djokovic advanced to the semi-finals after a four-set epic against Carlos Alcaraz, in which he was forced to take a medical time-out as he dealt with what appeared to be a burn injury.

“I didn’t hit the ball since (the) Alcaraz match until like an hour before today’s match,” Djokovic said after the match. “I did everything I possibly can to deal with the muscle tear that I had.”

Djokovic continued: “Medicine and, I suppose, the strap and the physio work helped to some extent today. But at the end of the first set I just started feeling more and more pain and it was too much to handle for me at the moment. Unfortunate ending, but I tried. ”

Asked if he would have won the first set if he would have continued, the 10-time Australian Open champion said he would have tried to maybe play a few more games but that the injury was getting “worse and worse .”

“I knew even if I won the first set, it was going to be a huge uphill battle for me to stay physically fit enough to stay with him in the heats for another two, three, four hours. I don’t think I had it in mind today unfortunately. ”

Serbia, bidding to claim an outright record 25th Grand Slam to surpass Australia’s Margaret Court, did not rule out a return to the Grand Slam tournament next year.

“I don’t know, there is a chance, who knows? I’ll just have to see how the season goes,” Djokovic said of whether he had played his last Australian Open. “I want to continue, but whether I want a revised schedule or not for next year, I’m not sure. I usually like to come to Australia and play and I’ve had the most success in my career here, so if I’m fit, healthy and motivated I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come. ”

Meanwhile, with the win, Zverev advances to his first career final at the Australian Open. The German is looking to capture his first career Grand Slam title.

Zverev will next play the winner of the other semi-final between American Ben Shelton and World no. 1 Jannik Sinner.