Australia’s MelbourneNovak Djokov was hurt by jeering spectators as he exited the court in Rod Laver Arena on Friday after giving up one set in his Australian Open quarterfinal match against Alexander Zverevon.
Djokovic, who was dealing with what he claimed was a strained muscle, lost the first set 7-6 (5) after he hit a forehand volley into the net. He then started to shake his head and went straight over to shake Zverev’s hand. After gathering his belongings and making his way to the locker room, the 37-year-old Djokovic stopped to give the jeers two thumbs up.
Djokovic stated at his press conference that the pain in his bandaged left leg was becoming worse. On Tuesday night, he injured it while defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.
“Even if I won the first set, I knew it was going to be a huge uphill battle,” Djokovic said.
He was vying for a record 25th Grand Slam trophy overall and his 11th triumph at the Australian Open.
He withdrew from last year’s French Open before the quarterfinals after tearing the meniscus in his right knee during a match, marking the second time in the last four major events that he was unable to finish due to an injury.
After undergoing surgery in Paris, Djokovic advanced to the Wimbledon final and won a gold medal for Serbia at the Paris Olympics less than two months later.
The No. 2-seeded Zverev advanced to his first title match at Melbourne Park and will play the victor of Friday’s second semifinal between No. 21 Ben Shelton of the United States and No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, the reigning champion, on Sunday.
The 27-year-old German Zverev has finished second in other major championships twice and lost in five sets in the 2020 U.S. Open and 2024 French Open finals.
Zverev stated, “I still want to compete with the big guys, go to these tournaments, and try to win them.” I have to get better for it. On the court, I have to get better. I have to become in better shape.
Zverev begged the supporters not to be harsh with Djokovic during his on-court interview.
“I understand that everyone purchased tickets and is hoping to witness an amazing five-set match,” he remarked. However, it is important to realize that Novak Djokovic has dedicated the last 20 years of his life to this sport.
19 of the points in the one set between Djokovic and Zverev lasted nine strokes or longer each, and the match lasted one hour and twenty-one minutes. Due to Djokovic’s meticulous pacing between points and the drawn-out baseline exchanges, the first four games alone lasted 31 minutes, which reduced the 25-second serve clock to and occasionally slightly past its full allowance.
Even without having to cope with a leg ailment that first surfaced late in the first set against Alcaraz, the contest was exhausting.
Djokovic stated, “I didn’t hit the ball (from after the Alcaraz match) until about an hour before today’s match.”
I basically managed the muscle tear I had by doing everything I could. He said, “I think the (tape) and the physio work helped to some extent today, along with the medications.” However, I simply began to feel more and more pain toward the end of that first set, and I couldn’t take it any more. A sad conclusion, but I made an effort.
In the tiebreaker, Zverev claimed he could feel some dents on the other side of the net and saw that Djokovic was having a little more trouble.
Even though Djokovic injured his left hamstring at Melbourne Park two years ago, he was still able to take home the trophy. He lost a set to someone 16 years his junior against Alcaraz, but he prevailed.
Djokovic was unable to make a similar escape this time.
And Djokovic had a lot of questions after that.
Could this have been his final Melbourne Park appearance?
There is a possibility. Who knows? Djokovic answered. I’ll simply have to wait and see how the season unfolds. I want to continue.
It’s too early to tell how long he might be out, he said.
He stated that he is currently unsure of the future of his coaching agreement with Andy Murray, his former on-court opponent.
Djokovic did make it obvious that his objectives and concentration will not change.
He remarked, “It’s not like I’m worried about getting hurt every Grand Slam now, but statistics are against me in a way in the last couple of years.” But I will continue. I’ll continue to work on more Slam victories. And I’ll remain here as long as I feel like I can tolerate all of this.