Djokovic after drama:
“It could be my last appearance”
Novak Djokovic still has to wait for his 25th major title - and is even looking gloomily into the future after his loss to Alex Zverev in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. "It could be my last appearance here," said the 37-year-old Serb.
The "Krone" reports from Melbourne
Exactly 1:21 hours had been played when Zverev had just taken a tight first set in a tie-break, only to sit on his bench moments later with his mouth hanging open. Unjustified boos roared from the stands, the fans had hoped for a long exchange of blows. But nothing went Djokovic's way.
The Serb went into his 50th Grand Slam semi-final with a thick bandage on his left thigh. The injury, a torn muscle fiber from the quarter-finals, was not noticeable in his match.
"It could be that it was my last appearance here"
"But it was too much. I tried everything, but it got worse and worse. I haven't hit a ball since the quarter-finals," said Djokovic, explaining why he gave up after the first set. Afterwards, the 10-time Melbourne winner even asked himself: "It could be that it was my last appearance here. Injuries are the biggest enemies of professional athletes. Maybe I need to change my season plan."
Zverev is once again just one win away from his longed-for first Grand Slam. However, he had not wanted to reach the final in this way. "Novak is my best friend on the tour, I have nothing but respect for him," said Sascha Zverev. "I thought our set was at a good level. We had long, difficult rallies."
In the final on Sunday, he will face the world number one Jannik Sinner, who was largely in commanding form against Ben Shelton, although he was plagued by cramps at times. "Two and a half hours for three sets is quite some time," said the Italian, relieved after his 7:6, 6:2, 6:2 win.
Maria Schaller
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