t may be called \u201cThe Happy Slam\u201d but raucous Australian Open crowds may have finally jumped the shark after Novak Djokovic\u2019s shock retirement from the 2025 tournament.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The 24-time major champion and 10-time Australian Open winner lost the first set of his semi-final clash against Alexander Zverev after failing to put a fairly standard volley winner away as it caught the top of the net.<\/p>\n
After an epic 81-minute set, fans were just getting comfortable as a five-hour-plus epic appeared on the cards.<\/p>\n
But instead of heading to his seat to prepare for the second set, Djokovic went to Zverev, hugging the German to concede the match.<\/p>\n
Djokovic, who has played through an abdominal tear and a hamstring tear to win the tournament in the past, suffered another leg injury against Carlos Alcaraz in their quarter-final clash.<\/p>\n
After suffering it early in the match before coming back from a set down to win in four sets, there were plenty of questions about whether it was a tactic rather than an actual injury.<\/p>\n
The world got its answer on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Love him or hate him, there\u2019s no doubt the 37-year-old is one of the most resilient players ever to grace the tennis court and his longevity and fitness is nothing short of superhuman.<\/p>\n