21 Jan 2025; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Alexander Zverev from Germany in action during his match against Tommy Paul in the United States of America in the quarter finals in Men’s singles at the 2025 Australian Open in Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Pictures Alexander Zverev qualified for his first Australian Open final when Novak Djokovic retired after the first set of their semi -final match in Melbourne on Friday.
Djokovic, 37, clearly struggled with a left leg injury during the first set, which went to a tiebreaker. When Serbian put a volley in the net to lose Tiebreak 7-5 and the first set after 81 minutes, he immediately asked to shake Zverev’s hand and retired from the match.
This is the seventh time Djokovic has retired from a Grand Slam match, and the first time since the round of 16 at the US Open 2019.
“I did everything I could to handle muscle tear,” Djokovic said after the match. “But towards the end of the first set, I just began to feel more and more pain and there was too much to handle.”
The 10 o’clock Australian Open Champion left the court to a smattering of Boos from the disappointed fans in the Rod Laver Arena.
“Please, don’t boo a player when he goes out with an injury,” Zverev said in his interview at the moment of the court later. “You must understand that Novak Djokovic is someone who has given this sport over the past 20 years all in his life.
“He has won this tournament with an abdominal hair. He has won this tournament with a hamstring. Against him.”
The first set was a back and forth business where none of the players had their service. But as the set continued, it was clear that Djokovic was fighting, because he had not practiced the two days since he beat Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter finals.
“I actually thought it was a pretty high level first set,” Zverev said. “Of course, you know that there are some difficulties. Of course I’m happy on one side to be in the finals of the Australian Open; I’m in the final in a Grand Slam. On the other hand I’m 100 years 100 percent honest, there’s no guy On the tour I respect more than Novak.
“He has been one of my closest friends on tour. When I fought, I could always call him, I could always text to him, I could always ask him for advice.
“He’s always someone who helped a lot. I wanted this to be a tough five-set match, but that’s how it is.”
What it is like is that the German will now meet No. 1 Jannik Sinner in Men’s single finals on Sunday after his 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 victory no. 21 Ben Shelton in the second semi-finals. Sinner is the defending master.
While they were almost even in the winner-23 for sinners to 27 for Shelton-Sinner only 26 unthreated errors compared to 55 for Shelton during the two-hour, 35-minute match. The big servhing Shelton won 57 percent of the score on its first serving and only 46 percent on its second serving.
Sinner moved to 5-1 in his career against Shelton but was tested in the first set of the American.
Sinner dropped two service games in the first set and met two points points with Shelton who earned 6-5. But the sinner deterred them and tied the set to 6 to force a tiebreaker.
“It was a very tough first set but very crucial,” said Sinner, who had to fight through cramps in the third set.
“I felt he didn’t earn his best today. The percentage was not where he would have liked it. I think we both returned better than we earned. First sets are always very important. It gives you a lot of confidence and there was a lot excitement for both of us.
As a 23 -year -old, Zverev is the youngest man since Jim Courier in 1993 to reach several Australian open finals. He won his first major in 2024 in Melbourne and his second last fall at the US Open.
Zverev has played in two previous Grand Slam finals and lost to Dominic Thiem in five sets of 2020 US Open and to Alcaraz in five sets at last year’s French Open.
“I would be nice to win another set than the first two,” Zverev said. “But the Grand Slam final is always difficult. I’ve had my tough losses, I feel it might be my time to have some luck in a Grand Slam final as well.”
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