In a surprising turn of events, Novak Djokovic announced the possibility that this year’s Australian Open might be his last. The 37-year-old Serbian tennis legend retired from his semi-final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev due to a muscle tear. Djokovic’s departure from the court was met with a mixture of boos and applause from the Melbourne crowd. His upper left leg was heavily taped after suffering an injury during the quarter-finals against Carlos Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic, often regarded as one of the best players in tennis history, was aiming to secure his 25th Grand Slam title at this tournament. However, his withdrawal after losing the first set 7-6 (7/5) to Zverev leaves his pursuit of surpassing Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles in limbo. During a post-match press conference, Djokovic acknowledged the uncertainty of his future in tennis, expressing that he would need to evaluate his health and motivation before deciding on his participation in future tournaments.
Despite this setback, Djokovic remains optimistic about his chances if he is physically fit. He reflected on his performance with positivity, noting his high level of play throughout the tournament. Djokovic, who has had significant success in Australia, stated, “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.” However, he also mentioned the possibility of a revised schedule for the next year.
Alexander Zverev, on the other hand, moved into his first Australian Open final and extended his sympathy towards Djokovic, urging the crowd to show respect for the contributions Djokovic has made to tennis over the past 20 years. Zverev will be facing either world number one Jannik Sinner or American 21st seed Ben Shelton in the final.
This possible end of an era has left tennis fans and pundits speculating on Djokovic’s future and his pursuit of becoming the all-time leader in Grand Slam titles. Regardless of what lies ahead, Djokovic’s legacy in the sport is already cemented as one of the greatest.
Zverev at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2025
Currently ranked no.2 (career-high), Alexander has managed to achieve an overall 8-0 match record in 2025. Zverev is currently having a run at the Australian Open where he toppled the world no.103 Lucas Pouille 6-4 6-4 6-4
, the world no.44 Pedro Martinez Portero 6-1 6-4 6-1, the world no.92 Jacob Fearnley 6-3 6-4 6-4, the world no.14 Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2, the world no.11 Tommy Paul 7-6(1) 7-6(0) 2-6 6-1 and the world no.7 Novak Djokovic 7-6(5) ret..Zverev won 24 titles in his career: 8 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts and 8 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play in Buenos Aires (Argentina Open) on the 10th of February and Rio De Janeiro (Rio Open) on the 17th of February.
Novak Djokovic in 2025
Now ranked no.7, Novak played his last match on the 24th of January when he had to retire when playing against world no.2 Alexander Zverev in the semifinal and the scoreline was 7-6(5) .
Presently, during this year the Serbian owns a compiled 7-2 match record. Novak Djokovic’s latest run at the Australian Open was the best achievement of his season.
He is also scheduled to play in Doha (Qatar ExxonMobil Open) on the 17th of February and () on the 29th of December.
Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic played each other 13 times. Their actual record is 8-5 for Djokovic.