Novak Djokovic Faces Last-Minute Decision on Australian Open Semi-Final Against Zverev

According to reports, Novak Djokovic has booked Court 16 for a short training session on Friday, just 90 minutes before his scheduled semi-final.

Age seems to be catching up with Novak Djokovic , with the Serbian already 37-years-old. Despite his age, he has reached another Australian Open 2025 semi-final as he chases a record-extending 11th Grand Slam title in Melbourne. The World No. 7 is set to face Alexander Zverev in the semi-final on Friday, but is reportedly suffered from a left leg injury, which he sustained in his quarter-final win vs Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic hasn’t reportedly trained since then, and also decided to skip practice on Thursday. This led to rumours that he could pull out from his semi-final vs Zverev, but no decision has been made yet. His semi-final vs the German is scheduled for 9:00 AM IST, at the Rod Laver Arena.

Novak Djokovic faces an intense decision regarding his participation in the upcoming semi-final against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open, set for 9:00 AM IST at the iconic Rod Laver Arena. Having missed two training sessions leading up to this pivotal match, speculation abounds about whether the Serbian star will withdraw from the competition.

In a bid to assess his fitness, Djokovic has reserved Court 16 for a brief training session just 90 minutes before the clash with Zverev. This last-minute training may play a crucial role in determining his availability.

The tennis world is buzzing with opinions regarding the state of Djokovic’s health. Tennis legend John McEnroe has suggested that the 23-time Grand Slam champion might be exaggerating his injury to gain a psychological advantage over his German opponent.

Conversely, Carlos Alcaraz, who faced Djokovic in the quarter-finals, defended the Serbian’s integrity, saying, “It’s obvious that he was struggling a little bit moving in the second set of our match.” Alcaraz refrained from labeling Djokovic’s performance as theatrical, stating, “Everybody saw that he was struggling.”

According to reports, Djokovic has booked Court 16 for a short training session on Friday, just 90 minutes before his scheduled semi-final vs Zverev.

Meanwhile, tennis legend John McEnroe feels Djokovic is faking his injury, to get a mental edge over his opponent. But his quarter-final opponent Alcaraz doesn’t think so. After his defeat vs the Serbian, he said, “I think everybody saw in the second set he’s struggling a little bit moving. I’m not saying, like, he made a show. It’s obvious and everybody saw it that he’s struggling in the second set.”

With Thanks and Reference to:https://www.hindustantimes.com/sports/tennis/djokovic-to-make-last-minute-decision-whether-to-play-australian-open-semi-final-vs-zverev-after-missing-two-sessions-101737681375207.html and https://www.footboom1.com/en/news/tennis/2324414-djokovic-faces-last-minute-decision-on-australian-open-semi-final-against-zverev