Alexander Zverev advances to his third Grand Slam final at the Australian Open after Novak Djokovic is forced to retire due to injury during their semifinal match. Despite some boos from the crowd, Zverev calls on fans to show respect and appreciation for Djokovic's contributions to the sport. This is not the first time Zverev has faced a semifinal retirement, having also withdrawn from a match against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2022.
Novak Djokovic's Injury Forces Retirement in Australian Open Semifinal
In a dramatic turn of events, Novak Djokovic was forced to retire from his Australian Open semifinal match against Alexander Zverev on Friday night due to a left hamstring injury. Zverev was leading 6-7(8), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(6) at the time of the retirement.
Djokovic, who was seeking his 10th Australian Open title and 23rd Grand Slam overall, had been struggling with the injury throughout the match. He called for a medical timeout at the end of the second set and received treatment on his left hamstring. He continued to play, but it was clear that he was hampered by the injury.
After losing the third set, Djokovic decided to retire from the match. He shook hands with Zverev at the net and left the court to applause from the crowd.
It was the first time that Djokovic had retired from a Grand Slam match since the 2019 Wimbledon semifinals.
Background
Djokovic has a history of hamstring injuries. He withdrew from the 2021 Australian Open semifinals due to a left hamstring injury. He also retired from a match against Andy Murray at the 2017 Wimbledon quarterfinals due to a right hamstring injury.
Djokovic's retirement from the Australian Open semifinal is a major blow to his chances of winning a 10th Australian Open title. He is now 0-2 in Grand Slam semifinals when he has been injured.
Reaction
Zverev was disappointed that Djokovic had to retire, but he said that he understood the decision.
"It's never nice to see somebody retire, especially in a Grand Slam semifinal," Zverev said. "But he's a great champion and he's been through a lot this week. I wish him all the best."
Djokovic was emotional after the match and said that he was "heartbroken" to have to retire.
"I tried my best, but unfortunately I wasn't able to finish the match," Djokovic said. "I'm very sorry to the fans and to everyone who tuned in to watch the match."
FAQs
Novak Djokovic retired from the Australian Open semifinal due to a left hamstring injury.
Djokovic has been dealing with the injury for several weeks. He aggravated the injury during his quarterfinal match against Andrey Rublev.
It is unclear what this means for Djokovic's future. He will likely need to rest and rehab the injury before he can return to competition.
Alexander Zverev will replace Djokovic in the Australian Open final. Zverev will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final on Sunday.
Djokovic's chances of winning the Australian Open are now very slim. He will need to recover from the injury and be at his best to win the title.
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