Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, saw his time come to an end in the Australian Open after he retired during his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev.
Djokovic was playing with a wrap around his left thigh, and he walked to the net and shook hands with Zverev, conceding the match and helping him get to the finals, where he’ll face Jannik Sinner. After the match, Djokovic made a promise to his fans, as he was seeking a record-extending 11th title at Melbourne Park.
“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,” Djokovic said via ESPN’s Jake Michaels.
The plan for Djokovic is to see the severity of the injury and how long he’ll be sidelined before he can play again.
“When I go back home to Europe I will get together with the medical team and my physios and try to understand what we can do and the quickest way to recover and get back on track,” Djokovic said. “I still have Doha tournament in a few weeks’ time that is scheduled. Whether I’m going to play that or not, it really does depend on how quickly I recover. It just depends on the muscle and how it responds to the treatment.”
When Djokovic left the court with his injury, fans booed him, but he didn’t respond in a negative way. Instead, all he did was put two thumbs up and headed to the exit.
“The very first thing I want to say is, please, guys, don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury,” Zverev said. “I know that everybody paid for tickets and wants to see hopefully a five-set match. He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear, won this tournament with a hamstring injury. So please show some respect.”
Hopefully, Djokovic will be able to play in the Doha tournament, but his health is the most important thing right now.
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