Novak Djokovic Retires Injured from Australian Open Semifinal Amid Mixed Crowd Reactions

Novak Djokovic Retires Injured from Australian Open Semifinal Amid Mixed Crowd Reactions

Novak Djokovic faced boos from sections of the crowd as he retired injured during his Australian Open semifinal match against Alexander Zverev of Germany.

The 37-year-old Serbian, who was vying for a record 25th Grand Slam title, ended his match after losing the first set 7-6 in a tiebreak. Djokovic, wearing a heavy bandage on his upper left leg, had sustained a muscle tear during his quarterfinal win against Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the week.

"I just started feeling more and more pain," Djokovic explained. "It was too much to handle for me. Even if I had won the first set, it would have been a huge uphill battle to stay physically fit for a long match."

Despite Djokovic’s accomplishments, some of the 15,000 fans inside Rod Laver Arena expressed their displeasure as he exited the match. In response, Zverev called for understanding and respect during his post-match interview. "Please guys, don’t boo when a player is injured," Zverev urged. "Novak has given absolutely everything to tennis. If he cannot continue, it means he really cannot continue."

Zverev, who described the opening set as "high-level," will now face either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton in Sunday’s final.

Djokovic, with 24 Grand Slam titles, holds the record for the most major titles in men’s singles tennis. Last year, he also secured his first Olympic gold medal at the Paris 2024 Games, adding another milestone to his illustrious career.