Jelena Dokic didn't like at all how the Australian Open crowd treated Novak Djokovic on Friday as the 2000 Wimbledon semifinalist bluntly told the booing spectators that the Serb would have certainly finished his match if he was able to do so.
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In the first semifinal of the day at Melbourne Park, Alexander Zverev claimed a very tight first set 7-6 (5) after an hour and 21 minutes of big battle.
The Serb - who had a medical timeout during Tuesday's win against Carlos Alcaraz and returned with his upper left leg heavily strapped - retired the match after losing the opener to the German.
Going into the semifinal match, there had been some doubts about whether Djokovic would even be able to play.
But when the 37-year-old retired, the crowd responded with heavy boos and it didn't seem that they had much understanding for the situation.
If he decided he couldnt play, he couldnt play, Dokic said on Nine.
Djokovic: I know how much I have given to this tournament
After the match, the record 10-time Australian Open winner disclosed that he was dealing with a torn muscle.
Also, he noted that he did everything possible to play but the pain was increasing toward the end of the first set so he had no other option but to retire.
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Until an hour before todays match, I did everything I possibly could to manage the muscle tear that I had, Djokovic explained in his post-match presser.
Medications and the strap and the physio work helped to some extent today.
But towards the end of that first set, I just started feeling more and more pain, and it was too much for me to handle for me at the moment. So, unfortunate ending, but I tried.
Djokovic twice won the Australian Open while dealing with an injury but this time it was simply too much to deal with.
"I know how my body works, what I feel, and I know how much Ive given to this tournament in the past 20-plus years," the former world No. 1 said.
