Novak Djokovic retires from Australian Open semifinal due to injury

Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record 25th grand slam title has been cut short at the Australian Open after he stunningly retired from his semifinal match due to a left leg injury.

Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record 25th grand slam title has been cut short at the Australian Open after he stunningly retired from his semifinal match due to a left leg injury. Djokovic was playing against world No. 2 Alexander Zverev in Melbourne on Friday, and the two had been neck-and-neck through much of the first set. The Serbian had been favoring his left leg throughout the match. However, despite appearing to struggle with his movement, the match went into a first-set tie-break where he eventually lost 7-6 (5) after a grueling one hour and 21 minutes. The crowd at Rod Laver Arena was visibly stunned as the two players shook hands and embraced at the net following the set. Djokovic waved to the crowd as he walked off the court, with some booing at him, while Zverev sat on the bench in disbelief over the result. “The very first thing I want to say is: please, guys, don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury,” Zverev told the crowd after the match. “I know that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to see a hopefully five-set match and everything but you got to understand Novak Djokovic has given the sport, for the past 20 years, absolutely everything of his life. “He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear, he has won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he cannot continue a tennis match, it really means that he cannot continue a tennis match. So, please, be respectful and really show some love for Novak as well.”