Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Novak Djokovic’s bid for the record 11th Australian Open took a major blow as the Serbian great retired with injury following a first set of the semifinal against Alexander Zverev on January 24.
After losing the first set in 81 minutes, Djokovic retired when Zverev was leading the match 7-6(5). Djokovic sent the ball into the net to give up the mini-break and lost the first set in a tiebreak. Immediately after he lost a 7-6(5) opening set, Djokovic shook the hand of the No. 2, sending the German through to the final. Through his third major final, Zverev awaits defending champion Jannik Sinner or home favourite Alex de Minaur. The German will play his first Australian Open final on Sunday.
The Serbian pushed Zverev throughout the opening set, but could not battle on any longer after he missed a volley on set point. After overcoming his upper-leg injury in an inspired quarter-final performance against Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic was clearly limited against Zverev despite keeping the scoreline close, ATP reports.
Djokovic pushed through the pain on January 22 to overcome Alcaraz in his bid to win a record-extending 25th major.
The Serbian, who had his upper left leg taped during his win against Alcaraz, was chasing a record-extending 11th Australian Open title. He had famously won the hard-court event in 2023 while managing an injury.
Djokovic is the third man in the Open Era to play in the semifinals at the Australian Open aged 37 or older, joining Ken Rosewall and Roger Federer.
The former No. 1 player in the ATP Rankings struggled to find his top level at the majors in 2024, with his victory against World No. 3 Alcaraz in the quarterfinal being his first against a Top 10 player at a Slam since 2023 when he overcame Daniil Medvedev to capture his 24th major at the US Open.
