Australian Open: Djokovic Exits Melbourne to Boos as Sinner Sets Up Zverev Fina

Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev ended prematurely on Friday after the Serbian great retired injured, leaving the court to boos from the crowd. Djokovic, who was battling a muscle tear in his leg, called it a day after losing a grueling first set 7-6 (7/5) to Zverev. The injury dashed his hopes of claiming a record 25th Grand Slam title and came as a blow to his bid to surpass Margaret Court’s 24 majors.

The 37-year-old, who has dominated the Australian Open with 10 titles, hinted that this might have been his last appearance at the tournament. When asked about it, Djokovic said, “There is a chance. Who knows?” However, he expressed his love for playing in Australia, stating that if he’s fit, healthy, and motivated, he wouldn’t rule out returning in future years.

In the other semi-final, Jannik Sinner secured a dominant 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-2 win over Ben Shelton, despite suffering cramps in the second set. The Italian took over two hours to clinch his place in the final, where he will meet Zverev. The 23-year-old Sinner had to battle hard in the first set, saving two set points, but once he got through that, he ran away with the next two sets.

Zverev, who is in his first Australian Open final, defended Djokovic against the crowd’s reaction to his retirement, saying, “I think we should stop blaming Novak. Novak has done absolutely everything he could on the tennis court in the last 20 years.”

Sunday’s final will be a contest between the top two seeds, with Zverev hoping to win his first Grand Slam title after coming up short twice before in finals.

Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts