Zverev booked his spot in the 2025 Australian Open final as Novak retired after 81 minutes at Rod Laver Arena on Friday.
Novak Djokovic was forced to retire from the Australian Open semi-final match with Alexander Zverev due to a left thigh injury, ending his quest for a 25th Major title.
The opening set against the third seed was a tightly contested battle, decided in a tie-break that the German won 7-5, after which Novak was forced to retire.
Despite visible movement issues, the 10-time champion put up a strong fight, even earning three consecutive break points in the fourth game. Zverev fended them off and eventually pushed the set into a tie-break. It went entirely on serve until the final point, when the Serbian star netted a routine volley with the court open.
Novak was clearly limited against Zverev despite keeping the scoreline close. His leg could take no more and Zverev is through to his third Grand Slam final, where he will face defending champion Jannik Sinner (ITA, 1) or Ben Shelton (USA, 21) on Sunday.
“I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear that I had,” Djokovic said. “Medications and, I guess, the strap, and the physio work helped to some extent today. But towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain. It was too much, I guess, to handle for me at the moment. Yeah, unfortunate ending, but I tried.”
“Djokovic is someone who has given to this sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything,” Zverev said. “He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear and with a hamstring tear, so if he cannot continue this tennis match, he really cannot continue this tennis match. There’s not a guy on the tour I respect more than Novak.”
First set statistics: aces (5-8), double faults (0-1), winners (11-24), unforced errors (16-15), total points won (43-49).
Nole’s participation in the Davis Cup qualifiers tie against Denmark in Copenhagen, scheduled for February 1 and 2, will depend on his recovery progress.
Photo: Profimedia
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