In a spectacular development at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic withdrew due to injury after losing the first set of his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev.
No. 2 seed Zverev won his tough first set with a 7-6 tiebreaker that lasted an hour and 26 minutes. No. 7 Djokovic decided he could not continue with the injury to his left leg that was blocking him during the match. Australia’s 10-time Open Champion has since revealed that the injury is a muscle laceration.
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Zverev faces Australian Open Champion and No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner, who defeated American Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 in the final on Sunday. Zverev is pursuing his first major tournament title.
In the first semi-finals, Djokovic gave a thumbs up and admitted the match as soon as the first set was over. Zverev looked shocked, and the pro joker crowd at Rod Raber Arena was initially incredibly quiet before some fans began booing.
Djokovic responded to the boo by flashing two thumbs to the crowd.
“Please, guys – don’t boo players when they’re out due to injuries,” Zverev said on the court in a post-match interview.
“Everyone knows they paid for the tickets, and everyone wants to see a great five-set match. But you have to realize that for the past 20 years Novak Djokovic has absolutely everything to tennis,” he added. “He won this tournament with a cleft in his abdomen, a cleft in his hamstring. If he can’t continue this match, it means he can’t really continue.”
Djokovic set the pace early in the match and appeared to control the play with Zverev’s frustration. Despite being able to consistently return serves, Zverev was often hampered by Djokovic’s play in the net.
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The injury plagued Djokovic during his quarter-final victory over Carlos Alkaraz, and although he was unable to practice on Wednesday or Thursday before the match against Zverev, he didn’t look like a problem early on with Zverev. During ESPN TV broadcasts, broadcasters John McEnroe and Jim Courier said they weren’t playing like Djokovic was injured.
It changed clearly as the first set progressed. Djokovic was limping as he went to the chair in the end change. Still, he was still almost at his first set. What would have happened if Djokovic won? Could he have tried to play one or two of another sets? He admitted that it would be difficult.
“Until an hour before today’s match, I did everything I could to manage the muscle laceration I had,” Djokovic later told reporters.
“Drugs, strapping and period work helped some degree of time today,” he continued. “But towards the end of that first set, I was just starting to feel more and more pain, and at this point there was too much for me to handle.
For Djokovic, his retirement from the match means he won’t win his record 25th major title and the 11th Australian Open. An injury has prevented him from completing two of his past four Grand Slam tournaments. He withdrew from last year’s French Open before the quarterfinals after a meniscus was torn in his right knee.
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Asked if this could be his last Australian openness, the 38-year-old Djokovic immediately said, “There’s a chance I know.”
“We have to see how the seasons go,” he added. “I want to continue, but I don’t know whether I am revising my schedule or not. If I am healthy, healthy and motivated, I will always come here.”
In the second semi-final, the sinner cruised past Shelton after a tough first set went to a tiebreak. The 23-year-old Thinner, from Italy, is looking for a second straight Australian crown and a third entire major. He also won the 2024 US Open after being cleared in a doping incident. After the International Tennis Integrity Agency determines that the steroids discovered in the sinner’s test are the result of accidental contamination, the world’s doping agencies are calling for a one-year suspension of sinners. An appeal hearing is scheduled for April.
For Shelton, Thinner temporarily needed treatment from the third set of trainers after grabbing her right foot. He then said he was suffering from convulsions.
Zverev will take part in the third major final after losing each of his first two attempts in the title in five sets.
“We’ve had some tough games in the past,” Thinner said. “It can all happen, he is an incredible player.
“Again – again – there’s a lot of tension. But I’m happy to be in this position. I’m going to enjoy it. I hope it matches well.”
