Australian Open: Sinner v Zverev in final, as Djokovic retires injured after first set
Alexander Zverev claimed the first set tiebreak before Novak Djokovic quit, with reigning champ Jannik Sinner awaiting in the final
Reigning champion Jannik Sinner reached the Australian Open final on Friday, where he will face Alexander Zverev after Novak Djokovic retired injured during his semi-final clash with the German.
Former world No 1 and 10-time champion in Melbourne Djokovic went down 7-6 in the first, after he was beaten 7-5 in the tiebreak before immediately signalling he could not continue. It was a tight semi-final, with no breaks of serve and Zverev clinched the set after Djokovic hit a slam into the net.
The 37-year-old, who was bidding to become the first male or female player to win 25 grand slam titles, picked up an injury during his stunning victory over world No 3 Carlos Alcaraz in the last eight, and appeared to show discomfort during his match with Zverev but was jeered by some inside the Rod Laver Arena after leaving prematurely.
After his shorter-than-expected stint on court, Zverev defended his opponent, asking the crowd not to “boo a player when he goes out with injury”.
“I know that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to see a great five-set match,” Zverev said. “But you have to understand for the past 20 years Novak Djokovic has given tennis absolutely everything.
“He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear, a hamstring tear. If he cannot continue with this match, it means he really can’t continue.”