Jake MichaelsJan 24, 2025, 12:33 AM ET
CloseJake Michaels is a Melbourne-based sports writer. He has been with ESPN since 2013, covering everything from AFL to Formula One, basketball to boxing, and tennis, both in Australia and around the world.Open Extended Reactions
MELBOURNE, Australia — Twenty-four-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic retired from his Australian Open semifinal match against Alexander Zverev on Friday afternoon, unable to continue due to a muscle tear in his left leg.
After Zverev had secured a marathon 81-minute first set in a tiebreak, Djokovic, who was playing with heavy strapping on his left thigh, walked gingerly to the net and shook hands with the world No. 2, conceding the match and confirming Zverev’s place in Sunday’s final.
The capacity Rod Laver Arena crowd booed Djokovic as he headed for the exit, and he responded by flashing two thumbs up.
“I did everything I possibly can to manage the muscle tear that I had,” a dejected Djokovic told reporters minutes after stepping off the court. “Medications and the strap and the physio work helped to some extent today, [but] towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain. It was getting