Novak Djokovic was forced to retire from his Australian Open 2025 semifinal against Alexander Zverev on Friday due to a torn muscle in his left leg. After losing the first set 7-6 (5) in a tiebreak, Djokovic walked over to Zverev, conceding the match. As he exited toward the locker room, the crowd expressed their disappointment with boos, to which Djokovic responded with a double thumbs-up.
“It kept getting worse and worse,” Djokovic said during his post-match press conference, referring to the injury he sustained in his quarterfinal win against Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday. “Even if I had won the first set, I knew it would have been an uphill battle.”
WATCH Novak Djokovic quit from his Australian Open 2025 semifinal HERE…
Not how we wanted your campaign to end, @djokernole.
Thank you for another wonderful Australian summer. Well played and best wishes for a speedy recovery.#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/d5VJ6YNBeN
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2025
Djokovic had been aiming for his 11th Australian Open title and a record 25th Grand Slam overall. His withdrawal marked another unfortunate end, reminiscent of his exit from last year’s French Open, where he pulled out before the quarterfinals due to a torn meniscus in his right knee.
The grueling first set between Djokovic and Zverev lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes, featuring 19 rallies of nine shots or more. The first four games alone took 31 minutes. Despite the intense competition, Djokovic entered the match with his left thigh heavily taped—an indication of the lingering injury he sustained during the match against Alcaraz.
“I hadn’t hit a ball since my match against Alcaraz until about an hour before today’s match,” Djokovic was quoted as saying by AP news agency.
“I did everything I could to manage the muscle tear—medications, taping, and physiotherapy helped to some extent. But by the end of the first set, the pain became unbearable. It’s an unfortunate ending, but I tried.”
At 37, Djokovic was asked whether this could be his final appearance at Melbourne Park. “There’s a chance. Who knows?” he said. “I’ll see how the season unfolds. I still want to keep going.”
Zverev, the No. 2 seed, advanced to his first Australian Open final, where he will face the winner of the second semifinal between defending champion and top seed Jannik Sinner of Italy and No. 21 seed Ben Shelton of the United States.
Zverev has previously been a two-time runner-up at other Grand Slam tournaments. The men’s final is scheduled for Sunday. Meanwhile, the women’s final on Saturday will see No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus aiming to become the first woman since 1999 to win three consecutive Australian Open titles, as she takes on Madison Keys of the United States.
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