Serbia’s Novak Djokovic wipes sweat from his face during his semi-final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday.
Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP
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Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP
Tennis star Novak Djokovic was booed by parts of the crowd after he retired injured in his Australian Open semi-final against Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
Djokovic, who was aiming for an all-time record 25 major titles, quit after losing the first set 7-6 in a tiebreak, walking over to shake Zverev’s hand.
The 37-year-old Serbian tore a muscle in his leg during his four-set quarterfinal victory over Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday while attempting a drop shot. On Friday, he wore a large bandage on his upper left leg.
“I started feeling more and more pain,” Djokovic said. “It was too much for me to handle.” He continued: “I knew that even if I won the first set, it would be a huge battle for me to stay physically fit enough to stay with him in rallies for two, three, four hours.”
Some of the 15,000 people inside Rod Laver Arena booed Djokovic as he retreated, leading Zverev to call for respect for his opponent, who has won the Australian Open 10 times, especially due to injuries.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev reacts after winning the first set in his semi-final against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday.
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Ng Han Guan/AP
“Please guys, don’t boo when a player is injured,” Zverev said during his post-match on-pitch interview. “Novak Djokovic is someone who gave absolutely everything to tennis,” he continued. “If he can’t continue this match, that means he really can’t continue.” Zverev said he didn’t notice Djokovic was injured, saying it was a “high-level set.”
With 24 titles, Djokovic has won more Grand Slam singles titles than any other male player, two more than Rafael Nadal and four more than Roger Federer. He also has one more than Serena Williams, but is tied with former Australian player Margaret Court, who has won 24 major singles titles. Last year, Djokovic won his first Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games, leaving him with little left to achieve in the sport.
As soon as he beat Alcaraz on Tuesday, Djokovic emotionally embraced former British player Andy Murray, whom he recently employed as a coach, after more than a decade of on-court rivalry. “I feel more and more connected with Andy every day,” Djokovic said this week.
On Sunday, Zverev will face either top-seeded Italian Jannik Sinner or 21st-seeded American Ben Shelton.
