Novak Djokovic booed off court after shocking Australian Open withdrawal

Novak Djokovic booed off court after shocking Australian Open withdrawal

MELBOURNE, Australia — An injured Novak Djokovic quit because of a torn muscle in his left leg after dropping the first set of his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev on Friday.Djokovic lost the opener 7-6 (5) and immediately walked around the net to concede the match to Zverev and shake hands.Spectators booed as the 37-year-old Djokovic walked off toward the locker room, and he stopped, turned around and responded by giving two thumbs-up.Advertisement00:0803:54Novak Djokovic waves to the crowd after withdrawing from his Australian Open semifinal match with Alexander Zverev because of injury.3Novak Djokovic waves to the crowd after withdrawing from his Australian Open semifinal match with Alexander Zverev because of a leg injury.Reuters“Don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury. I know that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to see a great five-set match, but you gotta understand Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given this sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life,” Zverev said in his on-court interview.“He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear. He has won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he can’t continue a tennis match, it really means he can’t continue a tennis match. So, please be respectful