Picture Credit: X

Picture Credit: X

24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic’s quest for record breaking 25th title was cut short on Friday, January 24 after he was forced to retire mid-match during his semifinal clash against second-seeded Alxerander Zverev at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. The Serb, who was seen struggling with a hamstring injury since his quarterfinal clash against Carlos Alcaraz, retired after losing the first set 7-6 in a battle which lasted for 82 minutes.

While the fans were hoping for an exciting and cracking contest at the Melbourne Park, but the 10-time Australian Open champion was left disappointed on ending his campaign with an injury. Not only Djokovic, the fans inside the Rod Laver Arena were also left utterly disappointed and expressed their displeasure by booing at the veteran of the game.

Novak Djokovic booed after retiring mid-match against Alexander Zverev at AO 2025

With the German top-seeded taking a vital lead with a tiebreak victory by a scoreline of 7-5, the Serb informed the chair umpire of his inability to continue. As he walked out of the court, people jeered from the stands, but a section of the crowd also booed after he pulled out of the match. At this moment, the 37-year-old didn’t lose his cool and rather gave a thumbs up.

Watch the AO 2025 crowd boo Novak Djokovic after withdrawing from semifinal match:

Notably, this is not the first time the seventh-seeded has bore the brunt of the spectators at the Melbourne Park. Earlier during his third round match against Tomas Machac, Djokovic had to deal with a fan who was apparently intoxicated, followed by the journalist interview controversy.

Alexander Zverev reacts after fans boo Novak Djokovic after pulling out of semifinal clash

However, the booing stands at one place, Djokovic’s opponent, Alexander Zverev came out in support of the great as he defended the stalwart during his on-court interview. Speaking after his walkover, the German said, “The very first thing I want to say is please don’t boo when a player is injured.”

"I know everyone paid for tickets but Novak Djokovic is someone who has given everything to the sport. He has won this title with an abdominal injury, he has won this title with a hamstring injury. If he cannot continue a tennis match, he really cannot continue a tennis match," the second-seeded added.