Novak Djokovic was booed after he withdrew from the semi-final match of the Australian Open due to injury
The crowd in Melbourne, Australia didn’t take kindly to that Novak Djokovic early Friday morning.
In an effort to extend his record 25th Grand Slam, Djokovic managed only one set, retiring from his Australian Open semi-final match after tearing a muscle in his left leg.
The withdrawal sent Alexander Zverev into Sunday’s final against Jannick Sinner and left the crowd disappointed.
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Serbia’s Novak Djokovic packs his bags after retiring from his men’s singles semi-final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev on Day 13 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24, 2025. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
After he dropped the match to Zverev, who won the set, the fans booed him as he left for the locker room.
Djokovic stopped, turned around and responded by giving two thumbs up.
Zverev made it known that he was disappointed with the audience.
“Don’t boo a player when he comes out with an injury. I know everyone paid for the tickets and everyone wants to see a great match in five sets, but you have to understand that Novak Djokovic is someone who has given this sport for the last 20 years absolutely everything in his life,” he said. Zverev in his interview on the field.
Novak Djokovic of Serbia is eliminated after his match against Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men’s singles semi-finals at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. (Mike Frey-Images)
“He won this tournament with an abdominal tear. He won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he can’t continue a tennis match, that really means he can’t continue a tennis match. So, please, respectfully.”
John McEnroe added in the call: “There’s no way they’re booing him. Please! He’s won this 10 times, for God’s sake. Unreal…
“I mean, obviously there was something. The guy is a fighter. I mean, him and Rafa [Nadal] dug deeper than any two players I’ve seen. So to do that because he decided he couldn’t go on after what he did here, I thought was absolutely ridiculous, honestly. That was almost as depressing as seeing the end of the game.”
Djokovic suffered the injury during his five-set classic with Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, but said the pain was getting “worse and worse”.
“Toward the end of that first set, I just started feeling more and more pain, and it was too much for me at this point. So, yeah, an unfortunate ending, but I tried,” Djokovic said.
“I knew that even if I won the first set, it would be a big uphill battle for me.”
He gave up on last year’s French Open before the quarterfinals after tearing the meniscus in his right knee during the game.
Djokovic underwent surgery a few days later and immediately reached the final at the next major tournament, Wimbledon, and then won the gold medal for Serbia at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts to a point against Germany’s Alexander Zverev during their men’s singles semi-final match on Day 13 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24, 2025. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
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This will be Zverev’s first final at the Australian Open and the third final in his career. He also reached the finals of last year’s French Open, as well as the 2020 US Open.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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