Why did Novak Djokovic retire against Alexander Zverev at Australian Open? All you need to know about the Serb's shocking SF decision

Novak Djokovic's semifinal clash vs Alexander Zverev at the 2025 Australian Open met with a shocking end on Friday, with the Serb retiring midway through the match. In return, he was met with a sea of boos from the crowd at Rod Laver Arena, making for a bitter end to his time Down Under.

On January 24, two wins away from a 25th Grand Slam title, Djokovic started strong in the day session at the Melbourne Major. Despite his serving not being at its usual best, the World No. 7 held Zverev at bay and took things to a tiebreaker. Even in the tiebreak, it was neck and neck, until a simple volley attempt from the Serb went wide while facing set point.

As Zverev celebrated going 1-0 up and fans in Melbourne applauded the end of a well-fought set, things went downhill within a moment's notice. In a swift decision, without even calling for a medical timeout or the physio, Djokovic announced his retirement and quickly walked off.

Stunned, fans started booing the 24-time Grand Slam champ, who responded with a strange double thumbs-up sign to the unexpected reception from the crowd. Soon after, Zverev shared his thoughts on how Djokovic was treated, telling off the fans for not being respectful of a legend who has won the tournament 10 times in Melbourne so far.

Coming back to the former World No. 1, the injury was already known to the public. He took a MTO during the four-set quarterfinal win over Carlos Alcaraz, and even dropped hints about what it was later on.

"If I lost that second set [against Carlos Alcaraz], I don't know if I would continue playing, but, you know, I felt better and better. You know, I was hesitant a little bit from the back of the court and, I took my chances and started to feel better, started to move better, so it didn't bother me, it didn't create any hindrance," Djokovic said.

Finally, after the loss against Zverev, Djokovic revealed more details about the injury at his post-match press conference. Confirming that it was a muscle tear in his left leg, the former World No. 1 admitted that he couldn't manage the pain as it kept getting progressively worse.

"It's a muscle tear. Two years ago I managed it better on the court, it didn't bother me as much. This time it wasn't the case... I did everything I possibly could to manage the muscle tear that I had. Towards the end of the first set I just started to feel more and more pain. Unfortunate ending, but I tried," Djokovic said.

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Alexander Zverev applauded Novak Djokovic after Australian Open retirement

2025 Australian Open - Day 13 - Source: Getty

At his post-match interview after Novak Djokovic's retirement, Alexander Zverev lavished praise on the Serbian legend, saying that he was the guy he respected most on the tour.

"I'm happy on one side to be in the final of the Australian Open. I'm in the final of a Grand Slam but on the other hand. I'm being 100% honest. I have, there's no guy on the tour that I respect more than Novak," Zverev said.

The German also shed light on their close friendship, saying:

"He's been, he's been one of, one of my closest friends on tour, whenever I struggled, I could always text him, I could always call him, I could always ask him for advice."

Up next, one win away from his maiden Grand Slam title, Zverev will take on either Ben Shelton or Jannik Sinner in the final on Sunday.