AO2025 : Zverev to meet Sinner in final , Djokovic quits after set 1 due to injury

 


Novak Djokovic’s wait for his 25th Grand Slam title has been extended. The Serbian tennis legend withdrew from the Australian Open semifinal due to injury, unable to complete his match against Alexander Zverev. Djokovic retired after the first set, which he lost 7-6 (7-5).


The opening set on Friday lasted an intense one hour and 21 minutes, culminating in a tiebreaker where Djokovic fell short. Following the set, he decided to withdraw from the match. With this, Zverev advanced to his first-ever Australian Open final. Djokovic, visibly emotional, bid farewell to the crowd, waving as he left the court.


Throughout this year’s Australian Open, it was apparent that the 37-year-old Djokovic wasn’t at his physical best. On multiple occasions, he was seen using an inhaler or receiving on-court medical attention. Despite these challenges, he had managed to push through previous matches, even battling through breathing difficulties to secure victories. However, Friday was a different story, and he was forced to call it quits.


A 10-time Australian Open champion and winner of 24 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic now finds himself needing more recovery time between matches. Before the semifinal, there was already concern about his physical condition, particularly a lingering groin injury. Reflecting on his health, Djokovic had admitted, “I had this injury in 2023 as well. I’m taking it one day at a time. My priority now is to recover quickly. There’s concern, real concern about my physical condition. But if I’m physically okay, I’ll be mentally okay too.”

In the quarterfinal, Djokovic faced Carlos Alcaraz in a four-set battle, overcoming an early deficit to win three consecutive sets and secure victory. Known for his remarkable comebacks, Djokovic displayed his resilience once again. But on Friday, his body couldn’t keep up, and he was unable to stage another return.


As a result, the quest for Djokovic’s 25th Grand Slam title will have to wait a little longer.


Meanwhile Jannik Sinner Reaches Australian Open Final

Sinner has stormed into the Australian Open final, defeating America’s Ben Shelton in straight sets in the semifinal. The Italian tennis star secured his victory with a scoreline of 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-2. On Sunday, the top-seeded Sinner will face the second seed, Alexander Zverev, in the final.


There was a time when American dominance in men’s tennis was indisputable. However, since 2003, that dominance has waned. That year, American players won two of the four Grand Slam titles: Andre Agassi clinched the Australian Open, while Andy Roddick triumphed at the US Open. Since then, a staggering 84 Grand Slam tournaments have gone by without an American winner. This year, 22-year-old Shelton had sparked some hope for a breakthrough. Despite causing a few upsets, he failed to meet expectations in the semifinals. While Sinner’s fans have reason to celebrate, there’s no cause for despair among Shelton’s supporters. The outcome was largely expected, although the one-sided nature of the semifinal was unexpected.


In men’s singles, Shelton is currently the third-ranked American player and holds the 20th spot in the ATP rankings. Few expected him to win a Grand Slam title. America’s main hope in the tournament was the fourth seed, Taylor Fritz, but he crashed out in the third round. After Fritz’s exit, American tennis fans had pinned their hopes on Tommy Paul, the 12th seed, who also fell short, losing to Zverev in the quarterfinals. This left Shelton as the last beacon of hope. His run to the semifinals raised expectations of ending the 22-year Grand Slam drought. However, his path to the semifinals was relatively smooth, as he didn’t face many top opponents. Apart from 16th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the third round, Shelton didn’t have to battle higher-ranked players. This lack of challenging matches exposed him in the semifinal, where he couldn’t match Sinner’s level.


The match was largely one-sided. Shelton put up a fight in the first set, stretching it to a tiebreaker. However, he couldn’t capitalize, losing the tiebreaker 2-7 and conceding the set 6-7. From that point on, Sinner took full control of the match. The Italian won the next two sets convincingly, both with 6-2 scorelines. Such a one-sided contest doesn’t reflect the standard expected of a Grand Slam semifinal.

Sinner’s commanding performance now sets the stage for an exciting final against Zverev.

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