In a stunning development at the Australian Open, an injured Novak Djokovic withdrew after losing the first set of his semifinal match versus Alexander Zverev.
Zverev won a grueling first set in a 7–6 tiebreaker that lasted one hour and 20 minutes. Djokovic decided he couldn’t continue with a left leg injury that was hindering him throughout the match.
“Please, guys — don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury,” Zverev said on-court in his post-match interview. “I know everyone paid for tickets and everybody wants to see a great five set match. But you have to understand for the past 20 years, Novak Djokovic has given tennis absolutely everything.
“He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear, a hamstring tear. If he cannot continue with this match, it means he really can’t continue.”
