Novak Djokovic‘s quest for a record 25th Grand Slam title met a sad ending on Friday at the Australian Open. The 10-time champion retired from his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev due to a troubling leg injury. The Serbian star was seen struggling with his movement throughout the first set, which eventually went into a tie-break. After battling for an intense one hour and 21 minutes, Djokovic lost the first set 7-6 (5). As he approached the net to shake hands with Zverev, the Rod Laver Arena crowd was left in shock. While the Serb explained how the injury got “worse and worse”, an American former tennis player Sam Querry knows the “logic” behind the decision.

On Saturday, during an episode of the Nothing Major podcast, the Former Tennis star Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson discussed the Serb’s unexpected withdrawal. Steve mentioned, “I didn’t see him retiring. But ultimately, I saw when you start seeing him do that early in the first set, middle of the first set, that tells me that’s a bit of a tough sign for him going forward.” Querrey explained the challenges Nole faced.

“We’ve all had injuries like this,” Sam remarked. “He knows after that first set that it is probably not possible. Why risk it and maybe tear something a little more in his leg? I think if you’re playing someone first-round that’s ranked 92 in the world, Novak probably knows that he could get by that person. Maybe the leg will get a little better in the next round. But when you’re having to go through a gauntlet… you just beat the number three player in the world, and now you got to beat the number two player and the number one player. Your body needs to be feeling 100% to get through that series of players.”

Further, the American strongly criticized the Australian Open crowd for their boos as the 10-time AO kind was walking out of the Rod Laver Arena. “It was pretty lame of the Aussie Open crowd to boo him on the way out. Even Zverev addressed it to the crowd, like, ‘Guys, what are you doing? This is a 10-time champion, maybe the greatest player the sport has ever seen.’”

Alexander Zverev also reminded everyone of the ATP star’s achievements. “Novak has done absolutely everything he could on the tennis court in the last 20 years. He’s won this tournament with an abdominal tear where most players can’t even continue playing. I think we should all just respect that in a way because there’s nobody in this sport’s history who has won and who has done as much as him.”

Remember when Djokovic, after clinching gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, said he would retire from the sport if he “start to lose more and feel like there is a bigger gap.” Is it time?

Novak Djokovic addressed his retirement at the Australian Open

Despite a knee injury that plagued him early in the year, Novak Djokovic achieved a significant milestone in 2024, capturing Olympic gold and bringing his career singles titles to 99. As he embarked on his 23rd season on the ATP Tour, the 37-year-old was increasingly mindful of his impending retirement, a reality that has become more prominent in his thoughts.

“I feel if I start to lose more and feel like there is a bigger gap, that I start to have more challenges in overcoming those big obstacles in big Slams, then I’ll probably call it a day. But right now I’m still okay, keep continuing,” he had stated in early January per Olympics.com.

Djokovic later addressed his decision to retire, explaining the severity of the injury. “I didn’t have another two, three, four sets in the tank,” he admitted. “I know how my body works, what I feel, and I know how much I’ve given to this tournament in the past 20-plus years. I will stop here so that I don’t continue in the wrong direction.”

The boos from the crowd reflected their disappointment at the unexpected conclusion, but the ATP star responded with maturity. “I’m not sure whether they understand me or if they even want to understand me,” he said.

For Nole, this retirement was a painful yet necessary decision, prioritizing his long-term health over immediate glory. While the crowd may not have appreciated the decision, Novak’s legacy as one of the greatest fighters in tennis remains untainted.