Novak Djokovic’s quest for an all-time record breaking 25th major title came to an abrupt and disappointing end on Friday afternoon in Melbourne, after injury forced the 10-time Australian Open winner to retire one set into his semifinal clash against Alexander Zverev.
Djokovic, who took the court on Rod Laver Arena sporting heavy strapping on his left thigh, confirmed to press that he had suffered a muscle tear on Tuesday during his quarterfinal clash against Carlos Alcaraz.
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Though Djokovic won that match in four sets, his condition sparked injury concerns as he later skipped practice in the lead-up to his meeting with Zverev. The Serbian revealed that he “didn’t hit a ball” since his match with Alcaraz as he raced to recover in time for the semifinals—all to no avail.
“I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear that I had,” Djokovic told press in Melbourne. “Medications… the strap, and the physio work helped to some extent today.
“But yeah, towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain. It was too much, I guess, to handle for me at the moment. Unfortunate ending, but I tried.”
