Zverev in the final
Semi-final drama: Novak Djokovic has to retire
Novak Djokovic must continue to wait for his 25th major title: The 37-year-old Serb retired on Friday in the semi-final of the 58.29 million euro Australian Open against Alexander Zverev at 6:7(5) due to pain in his thigh.
After 81 minutes, the German reached his third Major final, his first in Melbourne. Zverev has not yet won a Grand Slam tournament.
I didn't have enough gas in the tank to put up a fight like that.
Novak Djokovic
Djokovic had already played for his 38th appearance in the final. At the press conference afterwards, Djokovic explained that he had done everything possible to play despite the muscle injury in his thigh. "The medication and the bandage helped. But towards the end of the first set, the pain got worse and worse."
Had he won the set, it might have been possible to add a few more games, possibly even a whole set, Djokovic speculated: "But it would have been a fight against the pain. I didn't have enough gas in the tank to put up a fight like that." The ending may not have been nice, but at least he tried.
Strong words from Zverev
Zverev seemed completely perplexed after the unexpected retirement. He initially reacted to the disappointed crowd in a very sporting manner. "Please don't boo a player because he's injured. I know that everyone paid for the ticket, but Novak has given everything for the sport over the past 20 years. If he can't keep playing, then he can't keep playing," Zverev said to the fans.
Zverev's opponent in the final will be Jannik Sinner (ITA-1) or Ben Shelton (USA-21/starting at 09.00 CET).
Djokovic had already received treatment in the quarter-final against Carlos Alcaraz and also played with a bandage around his left thigh on Friday. However, little of this was noticeable in a high-class set. "It was a pretty high level in the first set," Zverev also didn't notice any impairment. "Maybe he didn't move so well in the tiebreak." On the one hand, Zverev is happy to be in the final of the Australian Open, "but there is no player on the tour that I respect more than Novak," Zverev told the fans. Last year in Shanghai, for example, Djokovic spoke to him for hours when the German was not feeling so well mentally.
"I'm a bit shocked. You could see that he wasn't one hundred percent fit. The rallies were too short and the shot selection was unusual," said Eurosport expert Boris Becker, who coached Djokovic from 2013 to 2016.
"Difficult moments for Novak"
"That's sport, that's the brutal thing. Even against Carlos Alcaraz, he wasn't 100 percent fit," said the two-time Australian Open champion. Nevertheless, it was "the best tennis" from Djokovic "that I've seen from him since the Olympic Games last summer". The question now is what the future holds for the exceptional player. "Where is the path going? I hope he goes forward and he keeps going - but these are difficult moments for Novak."
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