Melbourne: In what has come as a shock to his fans, Novak Djokovic withdrew from his Australian Open 2025 semi-final showdown vs Alexander Zverev at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Friday. The Serbian player had to unfortunately retire after the first set. He had lost the first set 6(5)-7(7), due to an injury.
Australian tennis fans are really the worst fans in the world.
They ripped into Novak for not getting the covid jab, now they boo him off the court when he retires with an injury. Just pathetic.
AO is the worst major of the year.
Good on Zverev for putting them straight. pic.twitter.com/FESMVqZbBM
— Death Ca₿ to QE (@DeathCabToQE) January 24, 2025
Djokovic was seen in pain during his quarter-final victory against Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic even cancelled his training sessions before the semi-final. According to reports, he is suffering from a hamstring injury.
Novak Djokovic’s injury visible in first set
Djokovic turned up for his semi-final clash vs Zverev. It indicates that he and his coaching staff probably felt that he was fit to chase a record-extending Australian Open 2025 title. But his movement appeared severely hampered in the first set. Spectators could witness how he looked to wrap up points quickly to avoid running.
His decision to retire has left Zverev and the Rod Laver crowd shocked. And, fans began to boo as he walked off. He simply responded with a thumbs-up. The Serbian had injured his left leg while playing against Alcaraz. Meanwhile, Zverev had to step in and pacify the crowd. He urged fans not to boo a legend.
“Please guys don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury. I know everyone paid for tickets.. but Novak has given everything of his life to the sport the last 20 years,” Zverev said, urging the crowd to show some love for Novak.
Zverev on some of the crowd booing Djokovic after retiring from Australian Open
“Please guys don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury. I know everyone paid for tickets.. but Novak has given everything of his life to the sport the last 20 years”
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 24, 2025
