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MELBOURNE, Australia – Spectators boo an injured Novak Djokovic as he leaves the court at Rod Laver Arena after dropping a set in the Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev.
Dealing with what he said was a torn muscle, Djokovic lost the first set 7-6 (5) when he planted a forehand volley into the net, then began to shake his head and immediately walked off, telling Zverev that the match was over. Djokovic, 37, packed up his equipment and headed for the locker room, pausing to respond to the jeers with two thumbs-ups.
In his press conference, Djokovic said the pain in his taped left leg was “getting worse.” He suffered a concussion during a quarterfinal win over Carlos Alcaraz.
“I knew,” Djokovic said, “even if I won the first set, it was going to be a huge uphill battle for me.”
He won his 11th championship at the Australian Open and 25th Grand Slam title overall. Instead, it will be No. 1 seed and defending champion Janic Cena facing No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the final.
Cena overcame a third-set cramp to beat US No. 21 Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 in the second semi-final to return to the Australian Open final as he seeks a third Grand Slam. title
Zverev 0-2 in major finals; It will be his first at Melbourne Park.
“Anything can happen,” said Sinner, who is unbeaten in 20 matches. “He’s an unbelievable player.”
For Djokovic, this is the second time in the last four major tournaments that he has missed the finish due to injury: he withdrew from last year’s French Open before the quarterfinals because he tore the meniscus in his right knee during a match.
Djokovic underwent surgery in Paris and reached the final at Wimbledon less than two months later, then won the gold medal for Serbia at the Paris Olympics.
Zverev, a 27-year-old German, lost in five-set finals at the 2020 US Open and 2024 French Open.
“My goal is still to compete with the big boys and compete for these types of tournaments and try to win them,” Zverev said. “For that, I have to be better. I need to improve on the court. I need to improve physically.”
During his on-court interview, Zverev pleaded with fans not to give Djokovic a hard time.
“I know everyone paid for the tickets and everyone wants to hopefully see a great five-set match,” he said. “But you understand – Novak Djokovic is someone who has given this game everything, for the last 20 years, of his life.”
Djokovic vs. Zverev’s only set lasted 1 hour, 21 minutes and included 19 points that lasted nine or more strokes. The first four games alone lasted 31 minutes, both slowed by long baseline exchanges and Djokovic’s deliberate pacing between points, pushing the 25-second serve clock below — and at times slightly beyond — the full allotment.
The match was tough – and could have been even without having to deal with the foot problem that initially became a problem late in the first set against Alcaraz.
Djokovic said, “Since the Alcaraz match until an hour before today’s match, I couldn’t hit the ball.
“I basically did everything possible to manage the muscle that I tore. Medicine and, I guess, (tape) and physio work helped a little bit today,” he added. “But by the end of that first set, I was more Started feeling pain and it was too much for me to handle unfortunately, but I tried.”
Zverev said he could feel “some dents” on the other side of the net in the tiebreaker and noted that Djokovic was fighting “maybe a little bit more”.
Two years ago at Melbourne Park, Djokovic injured his left hamstring but still managed to walk away with the trophy. Against Alcaraz, he went down a set against someone who was 16 years his junior but won.
Djokovic could not escape this time either.
And then, much of Djokovic was uncertain.
Could this be his last appearance at Melbourne Park?
“There is an opportunity. Who knows?” replied Djokovic. “I’ll just have to see how the season goes. I want to keep going.”
He said it was too early to know how long he might be sidelined.
He said he is still not sure what will happen to his coaching arrangement with former court rival Andy Murray.
What Djokovic has made clear: his focus and goals will not waver.
“It’s not like I’m worried going into every Grand Slam now whether I’m going to get injured, but the statistics have been against me in the last few years,” he said. “But I will continue. I will keep trying to win more slams. And as long as I feel like I want to put up with it all, I’ll stick around.”
