Djokovic says muscle tear has ended his run in Melbourne

Dubai: Novak Djokovic revealed that he had suffered an unspecified muscle tear that led to his retirement from the Australian Open after one set of his semi-final on Friday against Alexander Zverev.

“I didn’t hit a ball since [the] Alcaraz match, so until like an hour before today’s match. I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear that I had,” Djokovic was quoted by ATP Tour. “Medications and, I guess, 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,” he said.

Missed volley

Despite it being clear he was not physically at his best, the 37-year-old, who had his upper-left leg taped, played well enough to put himself in a winning position in the first set against Zverev. He missed a high volley into the net at 5/6 in the tie-break to lose the set.

Had Djokovic won the point and eventually the set, the Serbian explained that it was possible he would have continued. However, the 24-time major champion said “it was getting worse and worse” and declared it a “huge uphill battle” to remain fit enough for physical rallies for several more hours.

“It’s a muscle tear. Two years ago, I have managed it better. On the court it didn’t bother me as much. This time that wasn’t the case,” Djokovic said. “I had an extra day, so two days no match. So I thought it’s going to be good enough maybe. But that wasn’t the case, unfortunately.”

Long losing run

Djokovic, the last active member of the iconic Fab Four, endured his least successful season in 2024, failing to secure a single Grand Slam title for the first time since 2017.

The 37-year-old Serb, who claimed Olympic gold in Paris as a consolation prize, fought his way back after losing the opening set in his first-round match against American wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy. However, his gruelling another four-set quarter-finals against Alcaraz, which ended in the early hours of Wednesday, dented Djokovic’s record 25th Grand Slam bid hopes.

“I actually thought I played really well, as well as I played the past 12 months, to be honest. I liked my chances if I was physically fit and ready to battle,” Djokovic said, who had won a record 10 Australian Open titles.

I will be around, Serb says

On dealing with a physical problem, Djokovic said: “Injury is the biggest enemy of a professional athlete. In the past I managed certain injuries… It wasn’t to be this time. That’s OK. I cannot throw away all the incredible memories and results and achievements that I’ve achieved here over the years.”

The Serb has vowed to continue his fight to win his 25th Grand Slam title.

“I’ll keep striving to win more Slams. And as long as I feel that I want to put up with all of this, I’ll be around.”