A SHOCK retirement from 10-time champion Novak Djokovic has rocked the Australian Open semi-finals, setting up a clash between the first two men’s seeds in Monday’s final. The Serbian succumbed to injury after dropping the first set 7-5 to Alexander Zverev, and departed Rod Laver Arena amid scattered boos.

“I did everything I possibly could to manage the muscle tear I had,” Djokovic said post-match. “[It was] an unfortunate ending, but I tried.”

The hour and 21-minute set brought the 37-year-old to his limit having managed a muscle tear sustained in his quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz. Second seed Zverev, who scored 24 winners en route to his third Grand Slam final, was quick to defend his maimed opponent in the face of a bizarre crowd reaction.

“Please guys, don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury,” he said. “Novak Djokovic is someone who has given to this sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life.

“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.”

While Djokovic may have made his final appearance at Melbourne Park, the hunt for an unprecedented 25th major title rages on. Zverev, meanwhile, faces the unenviable task of taking down world number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner in the final.

The Italian took down 21st seed Ben Shelton in straight sets despite again appearing to struggle physically. Sinner first fought off two break points to take the first set in a tiebreak, then breezed ahead 4-0 in the second to ultimately claim it 6-2.

The third frame was where he began to wobble, suffering cramps at 2-2 and requiring medical attention. Though, the 23-year-old rallied to run out a 7-6, 6-2, 6-2 victor and extend his win streak to 20 matches. He won 75 per cent of his first serve points and dished up 29 less unforced errors than Shelton (26-55).

“It was a very tough first set, but a very crucial one,” Sinner said post-match. “First set is always very important, it gives you a little bit of confidence. There was a bit of tension for both of us. I’m very happy how I handled the situation today.”

Sinner and Zverev have met six times on tour, with the German holding a 4-2 head-to-head lead over his next opponent. On hard court surfaces, the ledger sits at 3-1 in favour of Zverev, though Sinner took out their last encounter at the Cincinnati Masters in August 2024. 

>> QUARTER-FINALS: Sinner slays Demon | Djokovic schools young star

AUSTRALIAN OPEN MEN’S SEMI FINALS

J. Sinner [1] def. B. Shelton 7-6, 6-2, 6-2
A. Zverev [2] def. N. Djokovic 7-6, 0-0 (RET)

AUSTRALIAN OPEN MEN’S FINAL:

J. Sinner [1] vs. A. Zverev [2]