Novak Djokovic hints at final Australian Open after injury: ‘There is a chance’
Novak Djokovic hints at final Australian Open after injury: ‘There is a chance’
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Djokovic retired from his Australian Open semi-final after losing the opening set to Alexander Zverev. Novak Djokovic admitted there is a “chance” he has played at the Australian Open for the final time after retiring injured from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev but says he remains motivated to chase further titles.
![[Djokovic held his thumbs up after leaving the court]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/24/05/AUSTRALIA_47885.jpg)
The 37-year-old, who was bidding to win a 25th grand slam and become the oldest men’s champion of all time, conceded the match after losing the first-set tiebreak to Zverev, to a chorus of boos on the Rod Laver Arena. Djokovic sustained a muscle tear in his upper left leg during his quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday and admitted he did not have anything left in the tank after attempting to play through the pain.
![[Alexander Zverev embraces Djokovic at the net]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/24/05/24-c7e19ef3a212463baabe7973351ccb64.jpg)
The 10-time Australian Open champion has now exited the tournament in the semi-finals for the second consecutive year, while last year’s French Open run was also ended by injury after sustaining damage to his knee ligaments. Djokovic turns 38 in May and although he wants to keep playing he acknowledged his chances of returning to Melbourne in 2026 depends on whether he is able to commit to a more regular schedule this season.
“I don’t know, there is a chance,” Djokovic said when asked if he might have played his last match at the Australian Open. “Who knows? I’ll just have to see how the season goes. “I want to keep going. But whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I’m not sure. I normally like to come to Australia to play. I’ve had the biggest success in my career here. So if I’m fit, healthy, motivated, I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come. But there’s always a chance, yeah.”.
