In a surprising turn of events at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic withdrew from his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev after losing the first set.
Zverev, seeded No. 2, claimed a hard-fought first set in a 7–6 tiebreaker lasting one hour and 26 minutes. Djokovic, ranked No. 7, made the decision to stop playing due to a left leg injury that had been affecting him during the match. Djokovic later revealed that the injury was a muscle tear.
Immediately after the set concluded, Djokovic signaled his inability to continue and conceded the match. Zverev appeared stunned, and the predominantly pro-Djokovic crowd at Rod Laver Arena fell silent in disbelief.
“Please, guys — don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury,” Zverev said during his post-match interview on-court.
“I know everyone paid for tickets and everybody wants to see a great five-set match. But you have to understand for the past 20 years, Novak Djokovic has given tennis absolutely everything,” he added. “He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear, a hamstring tear. If he cannot continue with this match, it means he really can’t continue.”
Djokovic initially set the tempo in the match and seemed to be dictating play, frustrating Zverev. Despite Zverev’s consistent serve returns, Djokovic’s net play often thwarted his opponent.
Although Djokovic had been bothered by the injury in his previous quarterfinal victory and was unable to practice adequately before the match with Zverev, it didn’t seem to affect his performance initially. However, as the first set progressed, Djokovic began to show signs of discomfort, limping as he moved between ends.
“Until an hour before today’s match, I did everything I possibly could to manage the muscle tear that I had,” Djokovic told reporters afterward.
“Medications and the strap and the physio work helped to some extent today,” he continued. “But towards the end of that first set, I just started feeling more and more pain, and it was too much for me to handle for me at the moment. So, unfortunate ending, but I tried.”
Novak Djokovic confirms he has a muscle tear after retiring from Australian Open SF against Zverev:
“Look, it’s a muscle tear. Two years ago, you know, I have managed it better. On the court it didn’t bother me as much. This time that wasn’t the case.”
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 24, 2025
With his withdrawal, Djokovic will not be able to secure his record 25th major title and 11th Australian Open victory. Injuries have forced him out of two of his last four Grand Slam events, including last year’s French Open due to a torn meniscus in his right knee.
When asked about the possibility of this being his final Australian Open, Djokovic stated, “There is a chance, who knows.”
“I will have to see how the season goes,” he added. “I want to keep going but whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not, I don’t know. If I’m fit, healthy, motivated, I will always come here.”
Zverev will now await the winner of the other men’s semifinal between defending champion and No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner and No. 21 Ben Shelton as he vies for his first major tournament title.