Novak Djokovic uncertain if he will return to Australian Open after latest injury scare

We may have seen the last of Novak Djokovic at Melbourne Park, with the 10-time champion uncertain if he’ll be able to return as injury concerns mount up after retiring against Alexander Zverev.

Novak Djokovic has conceded he may not return to the Australia Open again after sensationally retiring one set into the semi-final.

The devastated 10-time champion revealed the muscle tear in his left leg which he’d suffered in his quarter-final match had got too bad to continue after a marathon 81-minute opening stanza against Alexander Zverev.

Djokovic paused to acknowledge the crowd inside Rod Laver Arena as he was leaving and received a mixed reception from shocked fans, with cheers and boos raining down on the Serbian who has been the King of Melbourne Park.

Djokovic addressed the booing crowd with the Serbian media after the match.“I know what’s in my body, what I feel, how much I gave of myself to this tournament in the past 20 plus years. Now I’ll stop, so I don’t continue down the wrong path.”

Novak Djokovic shakes hands with Alexander Zverev after the Serbian withdrew from the tournament. Picture: Martin Keep / AFP

“I don’t know what to tell you. But, people came here, paid for the tickets and expected a battle, and they didn’t get it,” he said.

“If you look at it that way, I understand. At least I’m trying to understand them. I don’t know if they understand me or wish to understand me.

It comes after a drama filled tournament for the Serbian where he battled accusations he faked an injury, hit out at channel 9’s Tony Jones for “insulting and offensive comments” towards him and spoke about the trauma he faces visiting Melbourne post his 2022 Covid-19 quarantine saga.

The 37-year-old, who had his wife and children courtside, said he didn’t know if he would return to Australia.

“I don’t know. There is a chance (it will be my last). Who knows?,” Djokovic said. “I’ll just have to see how the season goes. I want to keep going. But whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for next year, I’m not sure.

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Novak Djokovic gives a thumbs up to the crowd after being forced to withdraw from the Australian Open. Picture: Michael Klein

“I normally like to come to Australia to play. I’ve had the biggest success in my career here. So if I’m fit, healthy, motivated, I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come. But there’s always a chance.”

Zverev, who took the first set 7-6 (5) before the shock Djokovic walk-off, hit out at the fans who booed the 24-time grand slam champion as he walked off.

“The very first thing I want to say is please guys don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury,” the No.2 seed said.

““I know that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to see hopefully a great five-set match and everything, but you have got to understand Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given the sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life.

“He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear, he has won this tournament with a hamstring tear, if he cannot continue a tennis match it really means that he cannot continue a tennis match, so please be respectful and really show some love for Novak as well.”

Twice Djokovic has managed injuries suffered mid-tournament during the Australian Open and still won the title. It was an abdominal strain in 2021 and a 3cm tear in his hamstring in 2023.

He suffered the latest issue early in his quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz before playing what he described as some of his best tennis for the past 12 months.

But he didn’t hit a ball for almost two days in the lead-up to Friday’s semi-final and appeared on court with heavy strapping around the top of his left leg.

“I didn’t hit a ball since the Alcaraz match (Tuesday night) until like an hour before today’s match,” Djokovic said.

“I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear that I had. Yeah, medications and, I guess, the strap, and the physio work helped to some extent today but 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 and yeah unfortunate ending, but I tried.”

Novak Djokovic during a press conference after retiring from the semi-final against Alexander Zverev. Picture: AFP

He said given the first set went so long the prospect of having to play a marathon match was a factor in his decision to retire.

“If I won the first set, maybe I would try for a few more games, half a set, maybe a set. I don’t know. It was getting worse and worse,” he said.

“I knew even if I won the first set, that it’s going to be a huge uphill battle for me to stay physically fit enough to stay with him in the rallies, you know, for another God knows what, two, three, four hours.

“I don’t think I had that, unfortunately, today in the tank.”

Djokovic was also forced to pull out of the French Open last year after hurting his knee in the third round and conceded given his age, the frequency of injuries was weighing on his mind..

“It’s not the first time that I have kind of encountered these kinds of circumstances,” he said.

“It is what it is. You know, injury is the biggest enemy of a professional athlete. In the past I managed certain injuries, like this one a few years ago that to some extent even helped me even play better and win the tournament.

“But, yeah, 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 just because this year, you know, I retired in the semifinals.

“Now freshly off the court, I’m disappointed and upset. But at the same time Australia always will stay in my head, in my heart, as the best slam that I’ve ever played and ever performed on.”

Zverev, who is yet to win a grand slam in two attempts, paid tribute to Djokovic for helping him out of a career slump last year.

“He has been one of my closest friends on tour whenever I struggled, I could always text him, I could always call him, I could always ask him for advice,” Zverev said

“I was speaking to him for hours last year in Shanghai when I was really struggling mentally after the US Open defeat in the quarterfinals, he is always somebody that helped a lot.

“I wanted it to be a tough five set match as well, but it is what it is. He has one the tournament 10 times and again I have nothing but respect for him.”

Originally published as Novak Djokovic uncertain if he will return to Australian Open after latest injury scare