Shocking turn of events at Australian Open: Novak Djokovic retires after one set against Alexander Zverev
ATP
An absolute surprise unfolded at the Australian Open as Novak Djokovic retired after just one set against Alexander Zverev. A highly unusual situation for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, who showed no visible physical issues during the set.
In the opening set, both players maintained parity in a tightly contested battle without any breaks. The set reached a tiebreak, where they were level at 5-5. After Zverev secured a 6-5 lead, Djokovic served to stay in the set but committed an uncharacteristic unforced error by hitting the ball into the net.
Immediately after, Djokovic approached Zverev to shake hands, stunning the crowd as he retired from the match.
The Serbian star, a 10-time Australian Open champion, had shown signs of thigh discomfort in his match against Carlos Alcaraz but managed to finish that match in good form. Although he expressed concerns about apparent thigh issues, nothing foreshadowed this sudden retirement, especially since he was competing evenly with the German.
There is no official update yet on Djokovic’s health or the reason for his retirement. With this result, Alexander 'Sascha' Zverev advances to his third Grand Slam final and awaits the winner between Ben Shelton and Jannik Sinner.
Novak Djokovic says goodbye to Rod Laver Arena after retiring from the semifinal against Zverev at Australian Open.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 24, 2025
Some of the crowd was booing him.
Novak puts his thumbs up.
pic.twitter.com/Cc17GT82fb
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