Australian Open: Djokovic retires in semi-final

The ten-time winner of the Australian Open Novak Djokovic, forced to retire on Friday in the semi-finals against world No.2 Alexander Zverev, assured at a press conference that he suffered from a “torn muscle” in his left thigh. .

“I did everything in my power to manage the muscle tear from which I suffer,” explained the 37-year-old Serbian, who was injured Wednesday in the quarter-final during his victory against Carlos Alcaraz (3rd). and immediately said he was “concerned”, without detailing the precise nature of his ailments.

“The medication, the treatment and the +strap+” (bandage) which encircled his left thigh on Friday “helped, but towards the end of the first set I started to feel more and more pain, too difficult to manage” , and the “Djoker”, in search of a record 25th Grand Slam title in Melbourne, therefore threw in the towel when he had just conceded the first set in the tie-break against Zverev. “The conclusion is unfortunate but I took my chance,” Djokovic argued.

“If I had won” the first set, “I could have tried to play a few more games, maybe a set, I don’t know. But even if I had won the first set, it would have been a Homeric fight against pain. “I didn’t have enough gas in the engine” to fight such a battle on Friday, admitted Djokovic, who will now return to Europe for treatment.

Doha ATP tournament still on the program

The ATP tournament in Doha (February 17-22, 2025) “is still on my program,” continued the former world No.1, who emphasized having experienced several “rapid recoveries” after previous injuries.

The Serbian “does not know” if the 2025 edition was his last participation in the Australian Open. “It’s a possibility, (but) I’ll have to see how the season goes,” he concluded.

AFP

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