Zverev Advances to Australian Open Final After Djokovic Retires Due To Injury
Alexander Zverev is through to his first Australian Open final after Novak Djokovic retired due to an injury following the first set of their semi-final clash. The 37-year-old Serbian, who was chasing his 25th Grand Slam title and an 11th Australian Open crown, pulled out after losing a closely fought tiebreak 7-5.
Djokovic had been dealing with a muscle tear in his left leg, which he sustained in his quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz. He had heavily taped his upper thigh and skipped practice sessions leading up to the match, but he still managed to push Zverev through a grueling 81-minute opening set. However, after missing a volley on set point, Djokovic immediately approached Zverev for a handshake, signaling his withdrawal.
"I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear that I had," Djokovic explained after the match. "Medications and, I guess, the strap, and the physio work helped to some extent today. But towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain. It was too much, I guess, to handle for me at the moment."
“Don’t boo when a player is injured”
As Djokovic walked off the court, some sections of the crowd at Rod Laver Arena booed him, leading Zverev to defend his opponent in his post-match interview. "The very first thing I want to say is, please guys, don't boo when a player is injured," he told the audience. "I know everyone paid for tickets and wants to see a five-set match but you have to understand Novak Djokovic is someone who has given absolutely everything to tennis. He has won this title with an abdominal tear, he has won this title with a hamstring tear. If he cannot continue this match, it means he really cannot continue."
Despite Djokovic’s struggles, Zverev admitted he hadn’t noticed any major issues during the first set. "I actually thought it was quite a high-level first set," he said. "In the tie-break, he was maybe not moving as well as in the entire first set. But I thought we had extremely long rallies, extremely difficult, physical rallies. In the tie-break I did see him struggle maybe a bit more."
This marks Zverev’s third Grand Slam final appearance, following losses at the 2020 US Open and 2023 Roland Garros. He has been in dominant form throughout the tournament, dropping only two sets in six matches and maintaining a strong first-serve percentage.
Djokovic to consult coach Andy Murray about next steps as Zverev advances to final
Djokovic’s exit also means an abrupt end to his first tournament working with Andy Murray as his coach. When asked if they would continue their partnership, Djokovic admitted they hadn’t discussed it yet. ""We both were disappointed with what just happened, so we didn't talk about the future steps," he said. "I'll definitely have a chat with Andy and thank him for being here with me, give him my feedback, which is, of course, positive, see how he feels and we make the next step."
Despite concerns about his body breaking down more frequently, Djokovic made it clear he has no plans to retire. "I want to keep going. I'll keep striving to win more Slams. And, as long as I feel that I want to put up with all of this, I'll be around," he stated.
Zverev will now face either top seed Jannik Sinner or 21st seed Ben Shelton in Sunday’s final, where he hopes to finally secure his first major title. "Grand Slam finals are always difficult. The two best players in the world are playing on that court. I lost twice in a fifth set… so I've had my tough losses. I feel like maybe it's time for me to have some luck in a Grand Slam final as well," he said.
