Novak Djokovic has stunned the Australian Open, withdrawing through injury after losing the first set against Alexander Zverev in their much-awaited semi-final.
The former world No.1’s pursuit of a 25th grand slam title and a record-extending 11th Australian Open title is over.
Novak Djokovic gestures to the crowd as he walks off Rod Laver Arena for the final time in 2025.Credit: AP
Soon after he brought his clash with Zverev to an abrupt end, the 37-year-old reflected on what could be his farewell Australian Open.
“You know, injury is the biggest enemy of a professional athlete,” he told his media conference.
“In the past, I managed certain injuries … [at times they] even helped me even play better and win the tournament.
“But, yeah, [it] wasn’t to be this time, and that’s OK.
“I cannot throw away all the incredible memories and results and achievements that I have achieved here over the years, just because this year, you know, I retired in the semi-finals.”
Immediately after the clash in his on-court interview, Zverev paid tribute to the Serbian. On the broadcast, he was highly critical of the crowd unrest as Djokovic left the court.
“I know that everybody paid for tickets there, and hopefully gets to see a great five-set match,” Zverev said.
“But you’ve got to understand Novak Djokovic is someone who 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.”
“Please be respectful.”
Speaking on the Nine coverage soon after the stunning end of Djokovic’s campaign, American legend John McEnroe and former Australian player John Millman slammed the booing from the crowd.
“The crowds [this tournament] have been questioned a lot, and rightly so,” Millman said.
“I just think it’s a bit of a shambles – some of it has crossed the line and that one takes the cake for me. This is a guy who has won it 10 times, have some respect. He’s one of the all-time greats, if not the greatest. He’s definitely the greatest to play on this court. I don’t care how much you’ve spent on your ticket, have some respect.”
McEnroe said Djokovic, along with former champion Rafael Nadal, had dug deeper both physically and mentally than any two players he’s seen.
“He’s won this tournament 10 times, I mean, come on! I mean, clearly something was up,” McEnroe said.
“To do that [boo] because he decided he couldn’t go on after what he’s done here I thought was absolutely ludicrous. Honestly, that was depressing … that was almost as depressing as seeing him end the match. ”
More to come
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