WATCH: Djokovic Booed After Australian Open Retirement, Zverev Hits Out At Crowd
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Novak Djokovic retired from his semi-final match at the 2025 Australian Open, but some of the fans made it an even more unpleasant experience than it already was.
Djokovic was battling for his 25th Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open this year, as he did at all four majors last year. Unfortunately, his efforts ended in a retirement in the semi-final of the tournament.
This marks Djokovic's fifth consecutive Grand Slam tournament without having a title, which is the longest for him since missing out on a major trophy every time since the 2016 Wimbledon Championships until the 2018 French Open.
But his retirement wasn't the only disappointment on Friday at the Rod Laver Arena. After losing the first set in a tie-break, 5-7, Djokovic immediately walked towards Alexander Zverev, signaling that he wouldn't continue.
The German player showed respect to his opponent, who then packed his bags and left the Rod Laver Arena, possibly for the last time in his tennis career.
Unfortunately, a group of fans were probably too disappointed about missing out on a great match that they couldn't control their emotions, booing Djokovic as he said goodbye to the crowd.
Luckily, there was still a larger group who cheered the 24-time major winner as he left the court, but the small group that booed Djokovic was too loud not to be heard.
It certainly made the end of his Australian Open campaign even more disappointing, and his opponent, Zverev, couldn't help but speak about the crowd's behavior during his on-court interview.
Before answering any questions, Zverev wanted to ask the fans not to boo players after they retire, especially Djokovic, who has given so much to the sport over the past two decades.
"The very first thing I was to say is. Please, guys, don't boo a player when he goes out injured. I know that everybody paid for tickets, and everybody wants to see hopefully a great five-set match and everything."
"But you have to understand, Novak Djokovic is somebody who has given the sport, for the past 20 years, absolutely everything of his life."
One thing that Zverev reminded the crowd of as well was the fact that it was Djokovic who won the tournament injured before. The Serbian player played through an abdominal tear in 2021 to win his ninth title in Melbourne, and in 2023, he played through a hamstring tear to win his tenth.
"He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear, he has won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he cannot continue a tennis match, it really means that he cannot continue a tennis match. So please, be respectful, and really show some love for Novak as well."
After standing up for his opponent, Zverev will now prepare for his final match. He will take on the winner of the other semi-final between Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton.
