Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title ended abruptly as he retired from his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev due to a muscle tear in his left leg. The match, held at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, saw Djokovic securing the first set in a grueling tiebreak that lasted 81 minutes. Despite playing with heavy strapping on his left thigh, Djokovic succumbed to the injury, suffering from severe pain that even medications and physio work failed to alleviate.
As Djokovic exited the court, the capacity crowd booed him, prompting the Serbian tennis star to respond with two thumbs-up. This marked the second instance in the past year where he had to withdraw from a Grand Slam due to injury, the first being at last year's French Open.
Djokovic sustained the muscle tear during his quarterfinal victory over world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the week. Despite his efforts to manage the pain with various treatments, he could not continue the match against Zverev, who will now advance to his first Australian Open final.
"I did everything I possibly can to manage the muscle tear that I had," Djokovic remarked, highlighting his struggle.
He further explained that he will consult with his medical team upon returning to Europe to determine the extent of his injury and plan for recovery. Djokovic mentioned a possible participation in the upcoming Doha tournament, contingent on his recovery progress.
"When I go back home to Europe I will get together with the medical team and my physios and try to understand what we can do and the quickest way to recover and get back on track," said Djokovic.
Zverev expressed his support for Djokovic during his on-court interview, urging fans to refrain from booing players who withdraw due to injury.
"The very first thing I want to say is, please, guys, don't boo a player when he goes out with injury," Zverev stated, addressing the crowd's reaction.
Zverev acknowledged the challenge of maintaining physical fitness against Djokovic's demanding play style and emphasized the effort required to compete at such high levels.
"I knew it would be a huge uphill battle for me to stay physically fit enough to stay with Djokovic in the rallies for another 2-4 hours," Zverev admitted.
Djokovic, despite this setback, remains determined to pursue further success in tennis.
"I'll keep striving to win more Slams and as long as I feel that I want to put up with all of this, I'll be around," he asserted.
Reflecting on his recent history with injuries, Djokovic noted:
"It is true that, you know, getting injured quite a bit the last few years. I don't know what exactly is the reason for that."
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