Australian Open 2025: Novak Djokovic retires from semi-final with injury
What's the story
Serbian tennis icon Novak Djokovic has been forced to withdraw from the 2025 Australian Open. The shocking exit came during his semi-final clash against Alexander Zverev after an injury forced him to retire. This came after Zverev had taken the first set 7-6(5). Djokovic, who gave Zverev a walkover, had earlier missed a couple of training sessions owing to similar injury concerns.
Tournament progression
Djokovic misses 25th major title
Djokovic's withdrawal from the tournament has robbed him of a potential 11th Australian Open and a record 25th Grand Slam title. On the other hand, Zverev, seeded number two, has reached his maiden summit clash at Melbourne Park. He will now face either defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy or Ben Shelton of the United States in the final.
Match concession
Djokovic endures boos from crowd
Djokovic, who had been trapped with injuries, had his leg taped for the Carlos Alcaraz match. He defeated Alcaraz in four sets to win the quarter-final. However, after losing the opening set 7-6 (5) in a tiebreaker against Zverev, he conceded the match. The decision was met with boos from spectators as he exited toward the locker room, to which he responded by giving two thumbs-up.
Appearance
Second loss via retirement
As per Opta, Djokovic has suffered only his second loss via retirement at the Australian Open. His first came against Andy Roddick in the 2009 quarter-final. After beating Alcaraz, Djokovic had become the first man to reach 50 singles semi-finals at Grand Slams. Notably, Roger Federer is the only other man with 40-plus such appearances (46).
Feats
Djokovic misses these feats
Had Djokovic won the 2025 Australian Open, he would have broken a tie with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles by a man or woman. Djokovic could have also joined Jimmy Connors (109) and Federer (102) as the only players to claim 100 men's singles ATP titles. The Serb's bid to become the oldest Australian Open champion also ends.
Zverev
Zverev joins Rafael Nadal
On the other hand, Zverev is only the second man in the Open Era to win and lose a Grand Slam semi-final via retirement. He joins Spanish ace Rafael Nadal, who won one of those matches against Alexander Zverev (French Open 2022). Notably, Zverev overcame Tommy Paul in four sets to reach the 2025 Australian Open semi-final.