Australian Open: Injured Novak Djokovic retires midway through semifinal clash to pave path for Alexander Zverev's first-ever final entry

Novak Djokovic was forced to withdraw from his Australian Open 2025 semi-final match against Alexander Zverev due to an injury. After losing the first set 7-6(5), Djokovic retired from the match, leaving the Rod Laver Arena crowd stunned. Djokovic had been visibly struggling with an injury since his quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz. Despite concerns and accusations of play-acting, Djokovic decided to proceed with the semi-final after a last-minute practice session with Andy Murray.

Novak Djokovic retires from Australian Open semifinal

However, his movement on court appeared severely hampered, and he seemed to be conserving energy throughout the first set. Ultimately, the injury proved too much to overcome, forcing 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic to concede the match to Zverev.

The crowd's reaction to Djokovic's withdrawal was mixed. As he walked off the court, he was met with boos from some sections of the audience. Djokovic responded calmly with a thumbs-up gesture.

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Alexander Zverev, who will be featuring in his first-ever Australian Open final, in a display of sportsmanship, stepped in during his courtside interview to urge the crowd not to boo Djokovic. He reminded them that they were witnessing a legend.

The first set of the Australian Open semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev was a closely contested affair. The set eventually went to a tie-break, which Zverev won 7-5.

Djokovic had been battling an injury throughout the tournament, evident since his quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz. Despite receiving medical treatment, including taping and painkillers, the injury continued to impact his performance. After losing the first set in a grueling 81 minutes, Djokovic decided to retire from the match, acknowledging that the pain was too severe to continue.

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Djokovic later revealed that he had considered retiring after the first set, recognizing that continuing would likely be detrimental to his recovery.

Zverev, a two-time Grand Slam runner-up, will now face the winner of the Jannik Sinner versus Ben Shelton match in the final on Sunday. The women's final will take place on Saturday, featuring World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka against Madison Keys. Sabalenka will be aiming to achieve a historic feat by becoming the first woman in 26 years to win three consecutive Australian Open titles.