Novak Djokovic out of Australian Open after retiring hurt in semifinal against Alex Zverev

Novak Djokovic retired injured in his semifinal match against Alex Zverev on Friday after losing the first set 7-6(5). Djokovic immediately walked around the net to concede the match to Zverev, leaving the court as fans booed. He responded to the crowd by giving two thumbs-up as he walked toward the locker room.

Zverev advances to his first Australian Open final and will face the winner of Friday's second semifinal between No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, the defending champion, and No. 21 Ben Shelton of the United States. The German tennis player is a two-time runner-up at other major tournaments.

Djokovic, who was bidding for his 11th Australian Open title and a record 25th Grand Slam, had hurt his left leg during his quarterfinal victory against Carlos Alcaraz.



The men's final is set for Sunday. In Saturday's women's final, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus will try to become the first woman since 1999 to win three consecutive Australian Open titles when she faces Madison Keys of the United States.

Novak Djokovic vs Alex Zverev: What was Djokovic's record against Zverev

Djokovic and Zverev have faced off 12 times before, with the Serb winning eight of those encounters, including their most recent meeting at the 2023 Cincinnati Open.

Zverev, who had struggled to find his best form during two injury-riddled seasons, showed signs of his old self last year, capturing Masters 1000 titles in Rome and Paris, and finishing as runner-up at the French Open.

The German secured his spot in a third Australian Open semifinal by defeating American 12th seed Tommy Paul in the previous round, and he is confident in his ability to overcome Djokovic.

Djokovic, the last member of the 'Big Three' remaining after Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal's retirements, appeared to be struggling with an injury early in his thrilling quarterfinal victory over Carlos Alcaraz. However, he was hopeful of being fit to face Zverev.