By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday January 24, 2025
Novak Djokovic’s bid for a record 25th major title ended in heartbreaking fashion as the Grand Slam king was forced to pull the plug after a set against Alexander Zverev due to a muscle tear in his left leg.
But 37-year-old Djokovic is still taking some positives from his run to the semifinals.
“I actually thought I played really well, as well as I played the last 12 months, to be honest,” he said. “I liked my chances if I was physically, yeah, fit and ready to battle. I liked my chances today. Who knows? Of course, it was never going to be an easy battle, an easy match for me…
“But as I said, I think I was striking the ball very well. A lot of positives to take in terms of how I played semifinals. It’s a very good result considering the circumstances. But it’s not satisfying to me, you know, for my standards. I always look for the highest goal, to reach the finals and fight for a trophy.”
It’s a tough way to start the season, but Djokovic believes he can win more majors provided that he can get healthy, and stay healthy.
“I’ll keep going,” he said. “You know, I’ll keep striving to win more slams. And as long as I feel that I want to put up with all of this, I’ll be around.”
Djokovic confirmed the nature of his injury and said that he just wasn’t able to recover in time. Known for his remarkable recovery powers, Djokovic has already lifted two Australian Open trophies after enduring serious injuries. This year, he was not able to summon the magic, however.
“It’s a muscle tear,” Djokovic said. “Two years ago, you know, I have managed it better. On the court it didn’t bother me as much. This time that wasn’t the case. So in these kinds of instances I guess you try to do as much as you possibly can in the shortest amount of time, and that was the case.
“I had an extra day, so two days no match. So I thought it’s going to be good enough maybe. But yeah, that wasn’t the case, unfortunately.”
Though disappointed, the Serbian legend vows to soldier on in 2025 in the hunt for more Grand Slam glory. But he was not willing to say he’d be back in Australia in 2026. Asked if he might have played his final match in Melbourne he said:
“There is a chance. Who knows? I’ll just have to see how the season goes. I want to keep going. But whether I’m going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I’m not sure.
“I normally like to come to Australia to play. I’ve had the biggest success in my career here. So if I’m fit, healthy, motivated, I don’t see a reason why I wouldn’t come.”
As for the immediate future, Djokovic plans to play Doha next month, but he isn’t sure he’ll be fit enough to do that.
“I still have Doha tournament in a few weeks’ time that is scheduled,” he said. “Whether I’m going to play it or not, it really does depend on how quickly I recover. But I had success with quick recoveries in the past. Let’s see. It just depends on the muscle and how it responds to the treatment.”
