Melbourne, January 24 (UITV) – Veteran tennis player Novak Djokovic had to retire due to a left leg injury in the men’s singles semi-final being played at Rod Laver Arena in the Australian Open 2025. Novak Djokovic, who is trying to win a record 11th Australian Open title, suffered a major setback on Friday when he had to retire due to injury after the first set of the semi-final. The match between Djokovic and Germany’s Alexander Zverev was tough, but Djokovic was not able to continue the game after losing the first set in the tiebreak. After dragging the first set for 81 minutes, Djokovic lost with a score of 7-6 (5) and after that he retired from the match.
Djokovic lost the first set to Zverev after giving a mini-break in the tiebreak and soon after that he shook hands with the German player and gave him a place in the final. Zverev will now move on to his first Australian Open final, where he will face either defending champion Jannik Sinner or home favourite Alex de Minaur. This is a big occasion for Zverev as this is his first Australian Open final.
Djokovic gave Zverev a tough fight in the opening set but failed to win the set after missing a volley. According to the ATP report, Djokovic had to struggle hard while battling his upper leg injury in the quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz and was clearly feeling limited while playing against Zverev. Although Djokovic kept the scoreline close despite his struggles, he was not able to play to his full potential throughout the match due to the injury.
It was a tough moment for Djokovic as he was trying to win a record 25th major and despite the injury, he competed hard against Alcaraz. Djokovic, who had tape applied to his upper left leg after defeating Alcaraz, was looking for his 11th Australian Open title after winning the hard-court event in 2023.
Djokovic has faced many hardships in his career, but this time he became the third player in the ATP rankings to reach the Australian Open semi-finals at the age of 37 or older. Earlier, Ken Rosewall and Roger Federer had achieved this feat. Djokovic’s struggle proves that age is just a number and he can still play at the top level.
In 2024, Djokovic was having difficulty performing at his best in the majors, but he proved that he is still a top player by winning in the quarter-finals against Alcaraz. This was his first win against a top 10 player in a Slam since 2023, when he won his 24th major title by defeating Daniil Medvedev at the US Open.
Regardless of Djokovic’s condition, this match was a pivotal moment in his career. The hard fight he put up in the first set showed that he was trying to maintain his form despite the injury. Although he had to retire in the semi-finals due to injury, his career achievements cannot be ignored. Now Zverev will get a big chance in the final and Djokovic’s condition has made the path to the final a little more interesting.
This year may have proved to be a challenging journey for Djokovic, but for his fans there is still reason to hope that he can recover from injury and reach his best level again.
