After summoning all his will to battle through injury and past third seed Carlos Alcaraz in a statement four-set quarterfinal triumph, after 81 minutes at Rod Laver Arena on Friday, his body could take no more.
“Novak Djokovic is someone who has given to this sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life,” Zverev said.
“He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear and again with a hamstring tear, so if he cannot continue this tennis match, he really cannot continue this tennis match.”
In a battle between the past two Olympic champions, both squandered break point opportunities through the opening eight games before the German brought up his fifth and a chance to serve for it.
Bidding to become just the second man after Roger Federer to notch 100 match wins at Melbourne Park, the Serbian snuffed him out with measured aggression.
-For the first time in his career, Zverev was expected to beat the 10-time Australian Open champion, and the tension made the opening set even more crucial.
“I actually thought it was quite a high-level first set,” Zverev said. “The tiebreak he wasn’t moving as well as earlier in the first set. We had physical rallies, [but] in the tiebreak I did see him struggle a bit more.
“I’m happy on one side to be in the final of the Australian Open, in the final of a Grand Slam, but on other hand there’s not a guy on the tour I respect more than Novak. He’s been one of my closest friends on tour.
“I spoke with him for hours last year after Shanghai when I was struggling a bit mentally. I wanted it to be a tough five-set match, but it is how it is. He’s won this tournament 10 times and I have nothing but respect for him.”
