Novak Djokovic booed after retiring from Australian Open semifinal match with injury

The Melbourne, Austrailia, assemblage was not benignant to Novak Djokovic aboriginal Friday morning.

In his quest to widen his grounds with a 25th expansive slam, Djokovic lone managed to play 1 set, withdrawing from his Australian Open semifinal lucifer aft tearing a musculus successful his near leg.

The withdrawal sent Alexander Zverev to Sunday's last against Jannick Sinner, and it near the assemblage disappointed.

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Serbia's Novak Djokovic packs his bags aft retiring from his men's singles semi-final lucifer against Germany's Alexander Zverev connected time 13 of the Australian Open tennis tourney successful Melbourne connected Jan. 24, 2025. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

After helium conceded the lucifer to Zverev, who won the set, fans booed him arsenic helium walked disconnected toward the locker room.

Djokovic stopped, turned astir and responded by giving 2 thumbs-up.

Zverev made his disappointment with the assemblage known.

"Don’t boo a subordinate erstwhile helium goes retired with injury. I cognize that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to spot a large five-set match, but you gotta recognize Novak Djokovic is idiosyncratic that has fixed this athletics for the past 20 years perfectly everything of his life," Zverev said successful his on-court interview.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia exits aft his lucifer against Alexander Zverev of Germany successful the semifinals of the men's singles astatine the 2025 Australian Open astatine Melbourne Park. (Mike Frey-Imagn Images)

"He has won this tourney with an abdominal tear. He has won this tourney with a hamstring tear. If helium can’t proceed a tennis match, it truly means helium can’t proceed a tennis match. So, delight beryllium respectful."

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John McEnroe added connected the call, "They can't perchance beryllium booing him. Please! He's won this 10 times, for god's sakes. Unreal…

"I mean, intelligibly thing was up. The feline is simply a battler. I mean, him and Rafa [Nadal] person dug deeper than immoderate 2 players I person seen. So to bash that due to the fact that helium decided that helium couldn't spell connected aft what he's done present I thought was perfectly ludicrous, honestly. That was astir arsenic depressing arsenic seeing the extremity of the match."

Djokovic suffered the wounded during his five-set classical with Carlos Alcaraz successful the quarterfinal, but helium said the symptom was getting "worse and worse."

"Towards the extremity of that archetypal set, I conscionable started feeling much and much pain, and it was excessively overmuch to grip for maine astatine the moment. So, yeah, unfortunate ending, but I tried," Djokovic said.

"I knew adjacent if I won the archetypal set, it was going to beryllium a immense uphill conflict for me."

He withdrew from past year’s French Open earlier the quarterfinals aft tearing the meniscus successful his close genu during a match.

Djokovic had country a mates of days aboriginal and instantly reached the last astatine the pursuing major, Wimbledon, past won a golden medal for Serbia astatine the Paris Olympics.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacts connected a constituent against Germany's Alexander Zverev during their men's singles semi-final lucifer connected time 13 of the Australian Open tennis tourney successful Melbourne connected Jan. 24, 2025. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

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This volition beryllium Zverev's archetypal last astatine the Australian Open and the 3rd last of his career. He besides made past year's French Open last arsenic good arsenic the 2020 U.S. Open.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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