Novak Djokovic was booed off court by some Australian Open fans after retiring injured from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev.
Djokovic, who was bidding for a record-extending 11th title, quit after losing the first set 7-6 (7-5) in 80 minutes.
The 37-year-old Serb had his upper left leg heavily taped after injuring it in Tuesday’s quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz.
“I did everything I possibly could do to manage the muscle tear that I had,” said Djokovic, who was also aiming for an all-time standalone record of 25 major titles.
“Towards the end of that first set I just started feeling more and more pain.
“It was too much to handle for me.”
After he slapped a volley into the net on set point, seventh seed Djokovic immediately approached Zverev and shook his hand.
He waved to the crowd and gave them a double thumbs up, despite audible boos from some sections inside Rod Laver Arena.
Asked by Serbian media, external about the reaction, Djokovic said: “I don’t know what to say.
“People have come and paid for the tickets expecting a great match and a big fight, which they didn’t get.
“From that perspective, I can understand. I am doing my best to understand them, but I am not sure whether they understand me or if they even want to.”
German second seed Zverev is still bidding for his first Grand Slam title after twice losing in major finals.
He will face world number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final after the Italian beat Ben Shelton.
