In an amazing development at Australian Open, Novak Djokovic retired due to an injury after losing the first set of his match in the semi-finals against Alexander Zverev.
Zverev, the seeded n ° 2, won a first exhausting set in an equal break of 7 to 6 which lasted an hour and 26 minutes. N ° 7 Djokovic decided that he could not continue with a left leg injury that surrounded him throughout the match. The champion of the Australian Open 10 times later revealed that the injury was a muscle tear.
Zverev will face the title champion of the Australian Open and the seeded n ° 1 Jannik Sinner, who beat the American Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2, during the final on Sunday. Zverev continues his first major tournament title.
In the first semi-final, Djokovic put his thumb up and conceded the match at the end of the first set. Zverev looked shocked and the crowd very pro-Djoker in Rod Laver Arena was initially suffocated with disbelief before some fans started to hua.
Djokovic responded to the hoots by displaying two inches to the crowd.
“Please guys – don't hoot a player when he injured himself with an injury,” said Zverev on the field in his post -match interview.
“I know that everyone has paid for tickets and everyone wants to see an excellent five sets match. But you have to understand for 20 years, Novak Djokovic gave Tennis absolutely everything,” he added. “He won this tournament with an abdominal tear, a tear in the hamstrings. If he cannot continue with this match, it means that he really cannot continue.”
Djokovic gave the pace at the start of the match and seemed to control the game, the frustration of Zverev. Although he can return to serve in a coherent way, Zverev has often been blocked by the Djokovic play with a net.
Although the injury disturbed Djokovic during His quarter -final victory over Carlos Alcaraz And he was unable to train on Wednesday or Thursday before the match with Zverev, that did not seem to be a problem at the start against Zverev. During the ESPN television, the broadcasters John McEnroe and Jim Courier both pointed out that Djokovic did not play as if he had been injured.
This obviously changed as the first set progressed. Djokovic was limiting himself to his chair when changing the ends. However, he has always won the first set. What would have happened if Djokovic had won? Would he have tried to play another together or two? He admitted it would have been difficult.
“Until an hour before today's match, I did everything I could to manage the muscle tear I had,” Djokovic told journalists afterwards.
“The drugs and the strap and the work of Physio have helped to some extent today,” he continued. “But towards the end of this first set, I just started to feel more and more pain, and it was too much for me to manage for me right now. So, an unhappy end, but I tried.”
Novak Djokovic confirms that he has a muscle tear after retiring from Australian Open SF against Zverev:
“Listen, it's a muscle tear. Two years ago, you know, I succeeded better. On the ground, that didn't bother me as much. This time, this was not the case.
– The tennis letter (@thetennisletter) January 24, 2025
For Djokovic, his retirement from the match means that he will not win his 25th record title and the 11th Open in Australia. The injuries prevented him from finishing two of his last four Grand Colem tournaments. He withdrew from the French Open from last year Before the quarter -finals due to a meniscus torn in his right knee.
When asked if it could be his last Australian open, Djokovic, 38, said: “There is a chance, who knows.”
“I'm going to have to see how the season takes place,” he added. “I want to continue but if I will have a revised schedule or not, I don't know. If I am in good shape, in good health, motivated, I will always come here.”
In the second semi-final, the sinner crossed Shelton after a first difficult set went to Tie Break. Sinner, a 23 -year -old from Italy, is looking for his second consecutive Australian crown and his third major as a whole. He also won US Open 2024 after being authorized in a doping case. The World Anti -Doping Agency is still looking for a suspension of a year of sinner after the International Tennis Integrity Agency judged that the steroid found in the Sinner test was the result of accidental contamination. An audience for the call is scheduled for April.
Against Shelton, the sinner briefly needed a treatment of a coach in the third set after catching his right leg. He later said that he suffered from cramps.
Zverev will be in his third grand finale after losing each of his first two title attempts in five sets.
“We have had difficult matches in the past,” said Sinner. “Everything can happen. He's an incredible player.
“There will be – once again – a lot of tension. But I'm happy to be in this position. I will enjoy it. I hope it will be a good match.”
