Alexander Zverev showed his support for Novak Djokovic after the Serb shockingly retired from their blockbuster semifinal clash at the 2025 Australian Open. Zverev stood up for the 24-time Grand Slam champion and chastised the crowd for sending him off with jeers.
Djokovic and Zverev's highly anticipated semifinal clash at the Melbourne Slam lived up to the hype in its opening set, as the duo engaged in a closely contested battle. After both players fended off multiple break points, the set headed to a tiebreaker, with the World No. 2 eking out a 7-6(5) win after a grueling one-hour, 21-minute contest.
Immediately after losing the first set, the 24-time Grand Slam champion made the decision to retire from the clash, sharing a warm embrace with Zverev, who reached his maiden Australian Open final. The Serb's decision wasn't completely unexpected, since he had been struggling with a left leg injury during his quarterfinal win over Carlos Alcaraz and had even canceled his practice session before the semifinal.
However, Novak Djokovic's decision was not well received by the packed Rod Laver Arena, with the spectators sending the Serb off with loud boos. The 37-year-old acknowledged the audience's jeers with a thumbs up.
Speaking in his on-court interview, Alexander Zverev promptly chastised the crowd for booing Novak Djokovic, pointing out that the 37-year-old had given his all to the sport and won the Australian Open despite fitness concerns on several occasions.
The World No. 2 urged the audience to "be respectful" and show some love for Djokovic, whose quest to win his 25th Grand Slam title was thwarted by injury.
"The very first thing I want to say is, please guys, don't boo a player when he goes out with injury. I know that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to see hopefully a great five-set match and everything but you've got to understand, Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given this sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life," Zverev said.
"He has won this tournament with an adominal tear, he has won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he cannot continue a tennis match, it really means that he cannot continue a tennis match. So please, be respectful and really show some love Novak as well,"
Alexander Zverev will face top seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton in the 2025 Australian Open final.
How did Novak Djokovic meet Jelena Ristic? All about the most admired couples in tennis