Novak Djokovic Shocks Australia Open with Sudden Semi-Final Withdrawal

Djoker drama! Novak pulls pin in semis | 00:45

Novak Djokovic has sensationally retired from this afternoon’s semi-final after losing a first set marathon 7-6 (7-5) to end his Australian Open run.

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The 10-time Australian Open walked to his opponent and world No.2 Alexander Zverev at the end of the 81-minute first set to shake his hands, before swiftly exiting Rod Laver Arena. The 37-year-old didn’t consult a physio or any medical attention after his unforced error ended the tie-break.

Djokovic showed no signs of any injury during the opening set, with only a strapping on his left quad visible.

He later explained in his press conference that he was managing a muscle tear sustained in his last match.

“Towards the end of that first set, I started feeling more and more pain and it was too much to handle for me at the moment. It was an unfortunate ending, but I tried,” he said.

Zverev will now play one of defending champion Jannik Sinner or big-serving young American Ben Shelton in the Men’s Singles final.

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Djokovic cancelled a planned public training session with young Aussie Hayden Jones on Thursday, with the Court 16 hit-out cancelled just before its planned 2pm start.

The No.7 seed battled through an upper leg or groin issue in his quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz, with his movement limited at times and a lengthy off-court medical timeout required.

It got to the point, Djokovic claimed, that he would have considered retiring hurt if he had trailed two sets to none.

“The medication started to kick in, and they helped,” Djokovic said post-match.

“To be honest, if I lost that second set, I don’t know if I would continue playing, but I felt better and better.”

However Djokovic’s use of medical time-outs as a tactic has been questioned throughout his career.

Earlier, a sad sight emerged amid the Mixed Doubles final at the Australian Open, as four Aussies locked horns to take out the format’s title, as well as $175,000 AUD.

In the Melbourne sun on Friday afternoon, Kimberley Birrell and John-Patrick Smith have been tasked with defeating country counterparts Olivia Gadecki and John Peers on Rod Laver Arena for the ultimate prize; a Grand Slam trophy.

But as the former pair took out the first set 6-3, it became abundantly clear that nowhere near as many people would see the final as fans had hoped.

Tennis fans with a ground pass access were hopeful of being able to fill out Rod Laver Arena for the match, but instead, only ticket holders to the first men’s semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev. It means that as Gadecki and Peers came back to claim the second set 6-4 and force the match into a 10-point super tie-breaker, observers were barely scattered across the 14,820-seat arena.

It was Gadecki and Peers who eventually took home the grand prize in the super tie-breaker, winning 10-6. The win is Peers’ second Grand Slam title in the format, having previously won the 2022 US Open alongside then-partner Storm Sanders. At 22 years of age, this is Gadecki’s first ever Grand Slam title.

While ground passes for today are just $35, there is no doubt that Melbourne Park would go a long way to packing out Rod Laver Arena if fans were allowed into the normally exclusive court, before clearing out for the first of two men’s semi finals today.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN DAY 13 ORDER OF PLAY (All times AEDT)

Men’s Singles Semi-Finals and other notable matches

Rod Laver Arena

Day session from 12pm

Mixed Doubles Final: [WC] Kim Birrell and John-Patrick Smith (AUS) vs [WC] Olivia Gadecki and John Peers (AUS)

Not before 2:30pm

No.7 Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs No.2 Alex Zverev (GER)

Not before 7:30pm

No.1 Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs No.21 Ben Shelton (USA)

1573 Arena

From 12:30pm

Junior Girls Singles Semi-Final: No.1 Emerson Jones (AUS) vs No.4 Wakana Sonobe (JPN)