Tennis star Novak Djokovic forced to retire from Australian Open ...

Novak Djokovic retired injured after losing a gruelling first set of his Australian Open semifinal to Alexander Zverev, leaving his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam crown in tatters today.

The 37-year-old Serbian great’s upper left leg was again heavily taped after he hurt it in the quarter-finals and he called time after going down 7-6 (7/5).

He left the court to a mixture of boos and applause from the crowd as Germany’s Zverev reached his first Melbourne final.

It means Djokovic has now gone five Grand Slams without winning the title he needs to surpass Margaret Court’s 24 and become the all-time leader.

He failed to collect one for the first time in seven years in 2024, with his last coming at the 2023 US Open, casting further doubt on whether he will ever get past Court.