It was a devastating scene at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park on Friday afternoon as Serbian superstar and 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic withdrew from the semifinals after losing the first set to Alexander Zverev in a tiebreak. The opening set lived up to expectations, taking more than an hour to conclude before Djokovic made his unexpected decision.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner cited a muscle tear sustained during his quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz as the reason for his early retirement. Despite extensive treatment and strapping on his left thigh, the injury became unbearable.
“I did everything I possibly could to manage the muscle tear I had,” Djokovic said at his post-match press conference. “It was an unfortunate ending, but I tried.”
The match lasted an hour and 21 minutes before Djokovic, visibly struggling, decided he could not continue. As he left the court, sections of the crowd expressed their disappointment by booing, while others applauded the Serbian’s efforts.
Zverev, who won the opening set in a tiebreak, expressed sympathy for Djokovic, urging spectators to respect the 10-time champion. “At some point, there’s a limit to how much you can take,” Zverev said. “Novak has done absolutely everything he could on the tennis court in the last 20 years.”
Djokovic revealed he had not practiced since his quarterfinal victory on Tuesday night and only hit a few balls an hour before the semifinal. Despite his best efforts, the pain intensified during the first set.
“Towards the end of that first set, I just started feeling more and more pain,” Djokovic said. “It was too much to handle at the moment. Even if I had won the first set, it would have been a huge uphill battle to stay physically fit enough to compete for another two, three, or four hours.”
When asked about his future at the Australian Open, Djokovic, who turns 38 in May, remained non-committal. “I don’t know. There is a chance [I won’t return]. Who knows? I’ll just have to see how the season goes. I want to keep going, but whether I’ll need a revised schedule for next year, I’m not sure.”
The Serbian added, “I’ve had the biggest success of my career here. If I’m fit, healthy, and motivated, I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come. But there’s always a chance.”
Djokovic plans to return to Europe for further assessment and recovery, noting that he’ll consult with his medical team before deciding on his schedule. “I still have the Doha tournament in a few weeks. Whether I’ll play or not depends on how quickly I recover,” he said.
With Djokovic’s withdrawal, Zverev advances to his third Grand Slam final and his first at Melbourne Park. The second seed will face either defending champion Jannik Sinner or rising star Ben Shelton in Sunday night’s final.
