Fri Jan 24 09:57:12 UTC 2025: ## Djokovic Retires Injured, Booed at Australian Open Semifinal

**Melbourne, Australia** – Novak Djokovic’s bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title ended abruptly Friday when he retired injured during his Australian Open semifinal match against Alexander Zverev. The Serbian star, hampered by a leg muscle tear sustained in his quarterfinal victory over Carlos Alcaraz, withdrew after losing the first set 7-6 in a tie-break.

Djokovic, visibly in pain and wearing a bandage on his leg, explained his decision, stating that the pain was simply too much to continue. “I just started feeling more and more pain,” he said. “It was too much to handle for me. I knew even if I won the first set, it’s going to be a huge uphill battle.”

His retirement, however, was met with boos from a section of the crowd at Rod Laver Arena. This prompted Zverev to appeal for respect for his opponent, a ten-time Australian Open champion. “Please guys, don’t boo when a player is injured,” Zverev said. “Novak Djokovic is someone who has given absolutely everything to tennis.” Zverev added that he hadn’t even realized the extent of Djokovic’s injury during their high-level first set.

Despite the setback, Djokovic remains one of the greatest tennis players of all time, holding the record for most Grand Slam singles titles among male players with 24, two more than Rafael Nadal and four more than Roger Federer. He’s also tied with Margaret Court for the all-time record including both men’s and women’s titles. This year he won his first Olympic Gold medal in Paris.

Zverev will now advance to Sunday’s final, where he will face either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton.

Read More