Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev , Australian Open: Djokovic stuns Melbourne with retirement, Zverev wins

It was as intense a first set as was expected with no breaks coming for either player. Finally Alexander Zverev won the tie-breaker 7-5 and Novak Djokovic immediately turned to the chair umpire and retired from he match.

Djokovic was struggling with an injury on his left thigh and he had walked out with heavy strapping. It would be quite ominous for Alexander Zverev that Novak Djokovic managed to beat Carlos Alcaraz despite not being fully fit, especially if the latter is at a 100 percent today.

The Serbian had been struggling early on in the match against Alcaraz but some taping on his upper leg and a few painkillers seemed to turn the whole game around.

He did say, though, that he is not too sure about where he stands with the injury on the eve of today’s match. “I’m concerned. I am, to be honest, physically,” said Djokovic, a 10-time champion at Melbourne Park. “But if I manage somehow to be physically good enough, I think mentally, emotionally I’m as motivated as I can be.”

He has had the benefit of two full days of recovery. Djokovic even skipped training for two days in a row. Just in case people haven’t noticed, Djokovic is two wins away from an unprecedented 25th major in his career and a record-extending 11th trophy in Melbourne.

This will be Alexander Zverev’s second consecutive semi-finals at the Australan Open. The German is easily among the best players in the world, testified by his status as a second seed in this tournament, but a Grand Slam title continues to elude him. This is the third time overall that he has reached the Australian Open semi-finals and he would be hoping to go past this stage for the first time in his career. If he does so, it will be the third different Grand Slam final he will play, having reached the title clashes of the French Open last year and US Open in 2020.

The winner of this match face either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton, who play their semi-final match after this today.