Novak Djokovic. (AP Photo)
Zverev, the second-seeded German, won the first set of the Australian Open semi-final 7-6 (5) after which the 37-year-old Serbian retired from the contest with a muscle tear he suffered in his upper left leg during his quarterfinal win over the world No.3 Carlos Alcaraz . Djokovic, the 10-time champion here, looking for his 100th match win at the Australian Open, was also going for a 25th major title. He was asked if he would’ve persisted with the semi-final had he won the first set, given that outside the heavy taping on his left leg, he appeared to be moving and playing freely in his near 90-minutes on court. It was getting worse and worse,” the 37-year-old said.
“If I won the first set, maybe I would try (for) a few more games, half a set, maybe a set. “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 for another two, three, four hours. I don’t know.
I don’t think I had that today in the tank.”
“I did everything I possibly can to manage the muscle tear,” Djokovic said. “Medications and strap, the physio work helped to some extent, but towards the end of that first set I started feeling more and more pain. It was too much to handle for me. Unfortunate ending, but I tried.”
I’ll just have to see how the season goes,” Djokovic said, before adding, “I want to keep going. But there’s always a chance, yeah,” the Serbian, seeded seventh, said. The question of whether Djokovic, the most successful player here, had played his last Australian Open was lurking in the shadows. “There is a chance. Who knows? But whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I’m not sure. “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. Djokovic was unsure when he’ll return to the Tour. “I have the Doha tournament in a few weeks’ time. Whether I’m going to play it or not depends on how quickly I recover. But I had success with quick recoveries in the past.”