Alexander Zverev emulates Rafael Nadal with unusual feat as he reaches maiden Australian Open final

Alexander Zverev reached his maiden Australian Open final as Novak Djokovic was forced to retire through injury during the pair’s semi-final clash in Melbourne.
The world No 2 won a gruelling first set 7-6(5) before Djokovic’s unfortunate retirement saw him progress to a Grand Slam final for the third time.
Djokovic, who suffered a leg muscle tear in his quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz, was subjected to boos from some sections of the crowd as he left the court.
In his on-court interview, Zverev took issue with the fans who reacted this way as he hailed Djokovic for his dedication to the sport in a classy message.
“The very first thing I want to say is — please guys, don’t boo a player when he goes out with an injury,” the 27-year-old said.
“He is — I know that everybody paid for tickets and that everybody wants to see hopefully a great five-set match and everything, but you gotta understand, Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given this sport — for the past 20 years — absolutely everything of his life.
Australian Open News
Novak Djokovic sheds light on injury after retiring from Alexander Zverev Australian Open showdown
“And 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 he cannot continue a tennis match. So please, be respectful and really show some love for Novak as well.”
This match was only the second men’s or women’s Grand Slam semi-final to end via retirement immediately after the opening set in the Open Era. The first instance saw Elena Dementieva pull out against Francesca Schiavone at the 2010 French Open.
With this result, Zverev has become only the second male player in the Open Era after Rafael Nadal to both win and lose a Grand Slam semi-final match by retirement.
The German was forced to retire in the second set of a brutal 2022 French Open semi-final against Nadal after suffering a horrific ankle injury.
Prior to the 2022 Roland Garros match with Zverev, Nadal won via retirement against Djokovic in the last four of the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.
Nadal’s retirement loss in a major semi-final came against Juan Martin del Potro at the 2018 US Open when injury forced him to withdraw after losing the first two sets.
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