Novak Djokovic Defends Decision to Retire from Australian Open Semi-Final

Djokovic defended his decision to retire from the Australian Open semi-final due to injury, with Zverev coming to his defense.

Novak Djokovic took to social media to post the results of a scan showing the extent of the muscle tear that forced him to retire from his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev. The 37-year-old Serbian tennis star was responding to critics who questioned the severity of his injury.

Djokovic left the court to a chorus of boos on Friday after dropping the first set on a tie-break. He revealed that a tear in his upper left thigh, which was heavily strapped, had made it impossible for him to continue playing.

Thought I’d leave this here for all the sports injury “experts” out there. pic.twitter.com/ZO5mBtw9zB

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 25, 2025

Djokovic posted the results of an MRI exam he underwent in Melbourne, highlighting a large, dark area inside his thigh. “Thought I'd leave this here for all the sports injury 'experts' out there,” wrote the 10-time Australian Open champion above the image he posted to his official X account.

The post attracted more than four million views within four hours of appearing, with many fans and supporters sending messages of encouragement and well wishes to the injured tennis star.

Novak Djokovic's loss to Alexander Zverev marked the end of his latest bid to claim a record 25th Grand Slam title. The Serbian tennis star had been striving to make history, but unfortunately, a muscle tear hindered his progress.

Djokovic reflected on his injury, explaining that he had done everything possible to manage the pain. “I did everything I possibly could to basically manage the muscle tear that I had,” he told reporters after his loss to Zverev. However, the pain became unbearable towards the end of the first set. “Towards the end of that first set, I just started feeling more and more pain. It was too much to handle for me.”

Alexander Zverev, Djokovic's opponent, came to his defense after some spectators expressed their disappointment about Djokovic's premature exit from the semi-final. “I think we should stop blaming Novak,” Zverev said, emphasizing Djokovic's remarkable contributions to tennis. “Novak has done absolutely everything he could on the tennis court in the last 20 years.” Zverev will face Jannik Sinner in Sunday's final.