Novak Djokovic says injury felt “worse and worse” during AO semifinal against Zverev

Novak Djokovic’s quest for an all-time record breaking 25th major title came to an abrupt and disappointing end on Friday afternoon in Melbourne, after injury forced the 10-time Australian Open winner to retire one set into his semifinal clash against Alexander Zverev.

Djokovic, who took the court on Rod Laver Arena sporting heavy strapping on his left thigh, confirmed to press that he had suffered a muscle tear on Tuesday during his quarterfinal clash against Carlos Alcaraz.

Read More: Alexander Zverev through to first Australian Open final after Novak Djokovic retires

Though Djokovic won that match in four sets, his condition sparked injury concerns as he later skipped practice in the lead-up to his meeting with Zverev. The Serbian revealed that he “didn’t hit a ball” since his match with Alcaraz as he raced to recover in time for the semifinals—all to no avail.

“I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear that I had,” Djokovic told press in Melbourne. “Medications… the strap, and the physio work helped to some extent today.

“But yeah, towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain. It was too much, I guess, to handle for me at the moment. Unfortunate ending, but I tried.”

Djokovic appeared physically hampered at the start of the match, through despite the injury he kept toe-to-toe with Zverev as the tightly contested opening set went into a tiebreak. But with the first set alone clocking in at 82 minutes, Djokovic says he began feeling “worse and worse” before eventually calling time on the match.

“If I won the first set, maybe I would try, I don't know, a few more games? Half a set, maybe a set? I don't know. It was getting worse and worse,” he revealed.

“I knew even if I won the first set, that it's going to be a huge uphill battle for me to stay physically fit enough to stay with him in the rallies for another God knows what, two, three, four hours. I don't think I had that, unfortunately, today in the tank.”

Djokovic says the next step will be to travel back to Europe and consult with his medical team and physios to understand the extent of the injury and his path to recovery. He is next scheduled to compete in Doha, which starts on February 17.

With the year’s first Grand Slam in the books, press conference questions turned to Djokovic’s future. The 37-year-old declined to confirm whether or not this was his last Australian Open campaign, though he conceded: “There is a chance. Who knows?”

He also left the door open in his coaching trial with rival-turned-teammate Andy Murray, who joined Djokovic’s team during the offseason five months after retiring from professional tennis. “We didn't talk about the future steps," he said. "We are so fresh off the court.”

No. 2 seed Zverev moved into the Australian Open final, his third career Grand Slam final, and awaits the winner of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton.