Novak Djokovic retired from his semi-final match at the Australian Open 2025 on Friday, 24 January, due to injury. After losing the first set 7-6 (7-5) to Alexander Zverev at the Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic made the decision to withdraw from the match, shaking hands with the chair umpire.
The 37-year-old Serbian, who had previously struggled with a left leg injury during his quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz, confirmed post-match that he had suffered a muscle tear.
"Look, it’s a muscle tear. Two years ago, you know, I managed it better. On the court, it didn’t bother me as much. This time that wasn’t the case," Djokovic explained.
Despite showing resilience during the opening set, Djokovic failed to capitalise on three break-point opportunities against Zverev. The German, however, dominated with his powerful serves, hitting eight aces and 24 winners.
Djokovic held firm through the set, but an unforced error in the tie-breaker allowed Zverev to claim the first set after an hour and 21 minutes.
Djokovic had been seeking his 11th Australian Open title and his 100th win at the prestigious hard-court Grand Slam. However, he was forced to retire before further progress could be made towards those milestones.
In the build-up to the match, Djokovic had cancelled his training session on Thursday, presumably to preserve his fitness for the semi-final. He entered the match with his leg taped, and his condition deteriorated after the first set, prompting his withdrawal.
Zverev, having advanced to his first Australian Open final, will face the winner of the second semi-final between World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton of the USA.
Zverev will be aiming for redemption after falling short in two previous Grand Slam finals – losing to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final and to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 French Open.
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