‘Stop blaming Novak’

Alexander Zverev embraces Novak Djokovic (right) after he retires hurt in Melbourne yesterday. Pic/Getty Images

Alexander Zverev defended Novak Djokovic for pulling out of their Australian Open semi-final with injury Friday, after the 24-time Grand Slam champion was booed by some spectators as he left court.

The 37-year-old Serb retired after losing the opener 7-6 (7/5) to put the German World No. 2 into the Melbourne decider for the first time. Some in the crowd jeered Djokovic, annoyed that they didn't get their money's worth. But Zverev said the nature of the injury - a muscle tear - meant playing on for two or three more hours was unrealistic.

Lot of play time left

"He knew probably to beat me after the first set he would have had to play probably at least three more hours, and that's very difficult to do if you have a tear or if you have a muscle injury," he said.

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Jannik Sinner returns to Ben Shelton during their semi-final in Melbourne yesterday. Pic/AFP

"So, I think we should stop blaming Novak. Novak has done absolutely everything he could on the tennis court in the last 20 years," he added.

"He's won this tournament with an abdominal tear where most players can't even continue playing. He's won this tournament with a hamstring tear. He's a 10-time champion [in Melbourne]. I think we should all just respect that in a way because there's nobody in this sport's history who has won and who has done as much as him."

Djokovic's pain was Zverev's gain with the 27-year-old handed the chance to again win a maiden Grand Slam after being runner-up at the US Open in 2020 and at Roland Garros last year.

He came into the season on a high after ending 2024 as World No. 2, winning more matches than anyone bar Jannik Sinner and back to his best after a horrific ankle injury.

Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner played down any injury fears after suffering from cramp in his Australian Open semi-final win, saying physical struggles were all part of getting through two-week-long Grand Slams.

The World No. 1 blasted past Ben Shelton, admitting he was relieved to come through in straight sets. Sinner suffered from leg cramps in the third set of his 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-2 win against the American 21st seed and had to have the trainer on to massage his thighs near the end.

Cramps trouble Sinner

"I had some tension today, slightly cramps," said Sinner, who had dizzy spells during his match in the fourth round. "You know, these matches can go very, very long. For three sets, two and a half hours is quite a time. So, I'm happy to finish today in three."

The Italian said physical suffering was to be expected because it was his first tournament of the season. "Without playing any tournaments before, you never know what's happening," he said. "Then you try to raise your level day-by-day. All of us who go deep in tournaments have some days where they struggle a little bit more."

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