"Or Carlos Alcaraz shouldn't have lost to an injured man" - Fans react to Spaniard's supporters lamenting Novak Djokovic's Australian Open retirement

Tennis fans recently reacted to the disappointment expressed by Carlos Alcaraz's supporters over Novak Djokovic's retirement in the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open. The Serb had emerged victorious against Alcaraz in the quarterfinals before being forced to retire during his match against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals due to an injury.

The Spaniard was seeded third at the Melbourne Major and he defeated the likes of Alexander Shevchenko, Yoshihito Nishioka, Nuno Borges, and Jack Draper in the first four rounds to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. However, his campaign ended when he was defeated 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 4-6 by the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

During the match, Djokovic looked uncomfortable and also left the court to undergo treatment on his left leg. The Serb then overcame his fitness issues to win the match.

One fan of Alcaraz's reacted to Djokovic's retirement against Zverev by claiming that the 37-year-old should have taken that call during his quarterfinal instead.

“SHOULD HAVE RETIRED AGAINST CARLOS," the Spaniard's fan posted.

This stance of the Alcaraz fan did not sit well with many tennis fans who took to social media to express their opinions on the same.

One fan argued that in order for Carlos Alcaraz to move forward at the Melbourne Major, he should have been able to defeat an injured Djokovic.

“Or just carlos shouldn't have lost to an injured man," a fan posted.

While another fan stated that Alcaraz doesn't deserve to be in the semifinals as he was unable to overcome the injured Serb.

“Carlos can't beat an injured Novak, he doesn't deserve to be in the Semis," a fan wrote.

“No, nobody knows how hard the injury is, maybe he recover in two days and he can play, its only carlos fault," a fan posted.

“Actually no, If Novak can beat you whilst injured then you don’t deserve to be in the Semis," a fan wrote.

Here are some other fan reactions :

“Or maybe Carlos should've beaten him," a fan posted.

“Or maybe carlos should’ve just played a better 2nd set idk," a fan wrote.

“Love Carlos but if he couldn’t manage to beat a 37 yo injuried Djokovic that’s on him," a fan posted.

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Novak Djokovic on his Australian Open retirement due to injury: “I didn't hit a ball since the Carlos Alcaraz match”

Novak Djokovic at the 2025 Australian Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

During the press conference following his retirement from the semifinals match against Alexander Zverev at the 2025 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic revealed that he had not practiced at all after his quarterfinals match against Carlos Alcaraz.

The Serb revealed that he had been dealing with a muscle tear for some time, but he was unable to manage it during his match against Zverev

“I didn't hit a ball since [the] Alcaraz match. Unfortunate ending, but I tried. It’s a muscle tear . Two years ago, I have managed it better. On the court it didn't bother me as much. This time that wasn't the case,” he said.

The former World No.1 stated that he had hoped to recover in time and perform at his best against Zverev after his match with Alcaraz. However, that was not the case, leading to his retirement from the match.

“So in these kind of instances I guess have you to try to do as much as you possibly can in the shortest amount of time, and that was the case. I thought it's going to be good enough maybe. But yeah, that wasn't the case, unfortunately,” he added.

As a result of Novak Djokovic's retirement, Alexander Zverev advanced to the final of the 2025 Australian Open. Zverev will face top seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner, who claimed the title in 2024 by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final.