Novak Djokovic Withdraws from Australian Open Semifinal with Leg Injury, Crowd Reacts
Melbourne, Australia – Novak Djokovic’s quest to extend his record with a 25th Grand Slam title ended early Friday morning after he withdrew from his Australian Open semifinal match against Alexander Zverev due to a torn muscle in his left leg.
Djokovic conceded the match to Zverev, who won the set, and as he walked off towards the locker room, the crowd booed him. However, Djokovic stopped, turned around, and responded by giving two thumbs-up.
Zverev expressed disappointment with the crowd’s reaction, saying, “Don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury… Novak Djokovic has given this sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life… He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear. He has won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he can’t continue a tennis match, it really means he can’t continue a tennis match. So, please be respectful.”
John McEnroe, a tennis analyst, also chimed in, saying, “They can’t possibly be booing him. Please! He’s won this 10 times, for god’s sakes. Unreal… I mean, clearly something was up. The guy is a battler.”
Djokovic suffered the injury during his five-set quarterfinal match with Carlos Alcaraz and said the pain was getting “worse and worse.” He stated that he knew even if he won the first set, it would be a huge uphill battle for him to continue playing.
Zverev will now face Jannick Sinner in the Australian Open final, marking his first appearance in the title match at the tournament. This will be Zverev’s third final in his career, following last year’s French Open and the 2020 U.S. Open.