Zverev advances to Australian Open final as Djokovic retires with injury

NOVAK DJOKOVIC retired from the Australian Open semi-finals on Friday due to a muscle tear, ending his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title.

The 37-year-old, whose left leg was heavily taped after a quarter-final injury, withdrew after losing the first set 7-6 (7/5) to Alexander Zverev.

Djokovic left the court to a mix of boos and applause, as Zverev advanced to his first final in Melbourne.

Asked if this could be his last appearance at the tournament, Djokovic said: "There is a chance. Who knows? I'll just have to see how the season goes. I want to keep going. But whether I'm going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I'm not sure."

He added: "I normally like to come to Australia to play. I've had the biggest success in my career here. So if I'm fit, healthy, motivated, I don't see a reason why I wouldn't come. But there's always a chance, yeah."

The loss extends Djokovic’s Grand Slam drought to five tournaments. He last won a major at the 2023 US Open and remains tied with Margaret Court’s record of 24 titles. His exit in Melbourne also denied him a 100th career title.

Reflecting on his tournament performance, Djokovic said: "I actually thought I played really well, as well as I played the last 12 months, to be honest. I liked my chances if I was physically fit and ready to battle. I think I was striking the ball very well. A lot of positives to take in terms of how I played. I wish Sascha (Zverev) all the best. You know, he deserves his first Slam. I'll be cheering for him."

Boos for Djokovic

Zverev will face either world number one Jannik Sinner or American Ben Shelton in Sunday’s final. The German, a two-time Grand Slam runner-up, has never reached the Melbourne final before.

Zverev criticised sections of the crowd for booing Djokovic as he left the court. "Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given to the sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life," he said. "So please be respectful and really, really show some love for Novak as well."

Djokovic had come into the semi-final with fitness concerns after needing medical attention in his quarter-final win against Carlos Alcaraz. Despite this, he showed no visible signs of discomfort early on, saving multiple break points in a competitive first set.

The set was decided in a tiebreak, where Djokovic missed a straightforward volley to hand the advantage to Zverev. He approached the German to shake hands after the set, ending the match and his Australian Open campaign.

(With inputs from AFP)