Novak Djokovic raised some eyebrows ahead of his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev at Rod Laver Arena on Friday. He missed training for the second consecutive day following his quarterfinal victory over Carlos Alcaraz. He didn’t hit the practice courts on Wednesday and was reportedly focused on recovery with his physiotherapist.

During his match against Alcaraz on Tuesday, Djokovic dealt with an injury. He left the court at 4-5 in the first set for a medical timeout and returned with his upper left thigh heavily bandaged. Despite the setback, he managed to turn things around after dropping the first set, ultimately winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 once the painkillers kicked in.

As per a report from Marca, he also skipped his scheduled training on Thursday afternoon to continue his recovery with physiotherapist Miljan Amanovic. It remains to be seen if he’ll be fit enough to face Zverev.

The 37-year-old had a tough time during the 2023 tournament after dealing with an injury. He mentioned having a 3cm tear in his left hamstring and was seen with heavy strapping in every match leading up to his victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, which earned him his 10th Australian Open title.

"When I got to my box, I just emotionally broke down and started crying, especially when I hugged my mom and brother. Up until that point, I hadn’t let myself get distracted by anything off the court or the injury I was managing. There were a lot of things that could have thrown me off my game," Djokovic shared.

"It took a lot of mental strength to stay in the moment, keep my focus, and take it one day at a time to see how far I could push myself. In the end, it was such a relief to let those emotions out. It’s hard to find the right words. It’s been a long but really special journey."

Now, Djokovic is just two wins away from achieving an incredible 25th major title and extending his record with an 11th trophy in Melbourne.

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