In a stunning development at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic withdrew because of injury after losing the first set of his semifinal match versus Alexander Zverev. Zverev, the No. 2 seed, won a grueling first set in a 7–6 tiebreaker that lasted one hour and 26 minutes.

And just as Djokovic had a couple of hurdles by the names of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to deal with, Sinner is not alone among the newest generation of tennis stars. His top rival at this point is Carlos Alcaraz, who has four Slam victories at age 21 — and won all three matches he played against Sinner in 2024.

Injured Djokovic decides not to continue after losing first set as Zverev reaches his first Australian Open final