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On Friday, January 24, former World No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic crashed out of the ongoing Australian Open 2025. The Serbian retired mid-match during the semi-final against Alexander Zverev due to an injury, to bow out of the first Grand Slam of the year.
Coming into the semi-final after beating Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and eyeing his record 25th Grand Slam, Djokovic’s appearance in the semi-final was under the clouds after the injury which he was carry since the quarter-finals. Prior to his semifinal match, Djokovic also cancelled his training session, further speculating his absence.
Novak Djokovic bows out of AO 2025 after retiring mid-match
Djokovic, who won the Paris Olympics gold medal in August 2024, could not continue his dominance at the blue court at the Melbourne Park as an injury forced him to retire mid-match, helping Alexander Zverev to progress into the final. The Serb, who had his upper left leg heavily taped, retired after losing the first set 7-6 (7/5) against his opponent.
Earlier on Wednesday, the 37-year-old skipped training, followed by opting out on Thursday, January 23 as well. He headed to the semi-final match without any training, highlighting the seriousness of the injury. On the other hand, the number two seeded Zverev will now face the winner of the second semi-final between defending champion Jannik Sinner and American Ben Shelton.
