Australian Open 2025: World No. 2 Alexander Zverev enters final after Novak Djokovic retires in SF
Immediately after the conclusion of the opening set, Novak Djokovic made a shock decision to retire from the match, leaving the spectators at the Rod Laver Arena stunned and disappointed.
FollowThe Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic quest to record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title came to an abrupt end as he decided to quit the semifinal against Alexander Zverev at the Rod Laver Arena on Friday, January 24.
In the opening set of the semifinal, Djokovic and Zverev had put on a brilliant performance as the match went into the tiebreak, with the German tennis star emerged as the winner of the first set with a score read 7-6. Immediately after the conclusion of the opening set, Novak Djokovic made a shock decision to retire from the match, leaving the spectators at the Rod Laver Arena stunned and disappointed.
Throughout the opening set, Novak Djokovic didn’t show any sign of discomfort or physical struggle, making his sudden retirement from the semifinal against Alexander Zverev all more surprising. The German tennis player was visibly shocked after Djokovic informed that he was retiring from the semifinal. The reason behind Novak Djokovic’s mid-match retirement in the semifinal is unknown, but it has been reported that knee injury was the reason behind the decision. The Serbian tennis legend’s knee was heavily strapped during the opening set of the semifinal at the Rod Laver Arena.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 24, 2025
Until yesterday, it was not decided whether Novak Djokovic would play in the Australian Open semifinal as he missed two practice sessions with Alexander Zverev. Djokovic suffered an injury on his left leg during his quarterfinal win against Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz. Since sustaining an injury, the Serbian tennis legend didn’t train and skipped Thursday's practice session. However, the 10-time Australian Open had a short training session just 90 minutes before his scheduled semifinal clash against Alexander Zverev.
Novak Djokovic was unsure whether he would be able to play the semifinal against Alexander Zverev because of the injury. The 37-year-old’s availability for the semifinal was confirmed on the day of the match. The opening set had already set the tone for the thrilling semifinal match. However, Djokovic’s unexpected retirement brought the eagerly anticipated match to a premature end, allowing Alexander Zverev to enter into his first Australian Open final, where he will face defending champion Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton in the second semifinal, which will take place later today.
Djokovic had a brilliant campaign until his quest for his 11th Australian Open came to an abrupt end. In the opening round, the 24-time Grand Slam winner defeated Nishesh Basavareddy in four sets before registering a four-set win against Jaime Faria in the second round. In the third round, Djokovic defeated Tomas Machac in three straight sets. In the fourth set, the Serbian tennis star registered another three-straight sets win against Jiri Lehecka to set up a quarterfinal clash against Carlos Alcaraz.
In the quarterfinal, Novak Djokovic lost the opening set and was struggling with his leg injury. However, the legendary tennis player displayed his composure and resilience to bounce back and win the next three sets to make it to the 50th Grand Slam semifinal of his career.
subscribe to Asianet Newsable WhatsApp channel by clicking here.
