Alexander Zverev has criticised the Australian Open crowd after Novak Djokovic was booed off court at the Rod Laver Arena on Friday morning.
Djokovic lost the first set to Zverev before then ultimately choosing to quit due to injury.
The former world No 1 sustained a muscle tear during his epic victory over Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the week.
But Djokovic was unable to play through the pain on Friday, with the former world No 1 choosing to talk away from the possibility of a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Alexander Zverev has criticised the Australian Open crowd after Novak Djokovic was booed off court at the Rod Laver Arena on Friday morning
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After quitting the match, the Serb was booed by the crowd at the Rod Laver Arena.
And that has sparked criticism from Zverev, who was unhappy with their antics.
He said: “Please, guys, don’t boo a player who leaves the court due to injury. I know that everyone paid to be here and hopes to see a great five-set match.
“But you have to understand that Novak Djokovic has given his all to this sport for 20 years.”
Zverev continued: “There is no one I respect more on the tour than Novak.
“I have always been able to send him a message, call him when things were not going well.
“He has helped me a lot. Last year in Shanghai, when things were really not going well after the US Open, we talked for hours.”
Zverev is now set for his first Australian Open final.
The 27-year-old will lock horns with either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton on Sunday.
As for Djokovic, the Serb was understandably frustrated at having to pull out of the match and walk away from another potential record.
He said after the clash that he did everything possible to play but, ultimately, it wasn’t enough.
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“Yes, I did everything I possibly can to basically manage the muscle tear I had,” he insisted.
“Yes, medications and I guess the strap, and the physio worked helped to some extent today.
“But yes, towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain.
Alexander Zverev has hailed Novak Djokovic following the Serb’s withdrawal from the Australian Open
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“It was, yes, too much, I guess to handle for me at the moment. Yes, unfortunate ending, but I tried.”
On whether he could soon retire, he continued: “I normally like to come to Australia to play. I’ve had the biggest success in my career here.
“So I’m fit, healthy, motivated. I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come. But there’s always a chance, yeah.”