Djokovic withdraws from Australian Open semi-final due to injury, sparking mixed crowd reactions
Novak Djokovic played the first set of his Australian Open semi-final before retiring through injury as boos broke out from the crowd - but Alexander Zverev was quick to hit back
Novak Djokovic was forced to retire through injury after just one set of his Australian Open semi-final - with Alexander Zverev hitting back at those who booed him.
The Serbian, a 10-time winner at the Grand Slam in Melbourne, had overcome Carlos Alcaraz in the last eight but was carrying an injury and chose to call it after narrowly losing the first set to the German on a tiebreak.
When it was announced by the umpire that Djokovic was retiring from the match loud jeers broke out, but Zverev used his post-match interview on court to remind fans that the 37-year-old has given his life to the sport and booing him was not an option in this instance.
He said: "Please, guys, don’t boo a player who leaves the court due to injury. I know that everyone paid to be here and hopes to see a great five-set match. But you have to understand that Novak Djokovic has given his all to this sport for 20 years."
He added: "There is no one I respect more on the tour than Novak. I have always been able to send him a message, call him when things were not going well. He has helped me a lot. Last year in Shanghai, when things were really not going well after the US Open, we talked for hours."
After hitting a volley into the net on set point Djokovic immediately approached Zverev and shook his hand after 80 minutes of play. He waved to the crowd, but audible boos from some sections of Rod Laver Arena broke out.
Djokovic said: "I did everything I possibly could do to manage the muscle tear that I had. Towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain. It was too much to handle for me at the moment."
"I knew even if I won the first set, that it’s going to be a huge uphill battle for me to stay physically fit enough to stay with him in the rallies for two, three, four hours. I don’t think I had that today in the tank."
The Serbian also admitted, despite chasing a 25th Grand Slam title, which would set him apart in the record books, he was unsure whether he’d be playing at the Australian Open again.
Meanwhile Zverev will now prepare for his first ever final at the Australian Open. He’s previously been a beaten finalist twice as he seeks to land his first Grand Slam title. He will face either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton.
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