Sat Jan 25 04:39:54 UTC 2025: **Djokovic Booed After Retiring Injured in Australian Open Semi-Final**
Melbourne, Australia – Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open campaign ended abruptly on Friday after he was forced to retire from his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev due to a leg injury. The Serbian star, hampered by a heavily taped upper left leg since his quarter-final victory, lost the first set 7-6 before withdrawing, prompting boos from sections of the crowd at Rod Laver Arena.
Despite the negative reaction, Zverev immediately defended Djokovic, pleading with the audience to show respect for the injured player’s long and illustrious career. “Please guys don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury,” Zverev stated in his post-match interview. “Novak has given everything of his life to the sport the last 20 years.” He highlighted Djokovic’s previous Grand Slam wins despite carrying significant injuries.
The retirement marks Djokovic’s fifth consecutive Grand Slam without a title win, halting his pursuit of surpassing Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. This is the first year since 2017 that he has failed to win a Grand Slam title. The loss also prevents him from reaching a career milestone of 100 titles; only Roger Federer has achieved this feat.
Zverev, who will now play either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton in Sunday’s final, expressed understanding for Djokovic’s situation. This will be Zverev’s first Australian Open final appearance.
First Piper 