Desire Burns Bright But Uncertainty Abounds For Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic's injury retirement from his Australian Open semi-final after a gruelling first set on Friday, and his subsequent comments, have left question marks about how the last chapter of his great career might unfold. The 37-year-old Serbian came to Melbourne, where he won a record 10 titles, looking to break the all-time Grand Slam record of Margaret Court. He is tied with the Australian on 24 majors, as has been the case since he won the 2023 US Open. His bid for history is still on hold after shaking hands with German world number two Alexander Zverev after losing a first set tiebreak, unable to continue with a leg muscle tear.

Some fans booed as Djokovic ambled out Rod Laver Arena.

Asked afterwards if this could be his last year on the blue hard courts of Melbourne Park, the former world number one said: "I don't know. There is a chance.

"Who knows? I'll just have to see how the season goes," said Djokovic, who will be ranked sixth next week and who has seen rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both retire in recent years.

He added: "I want to keep going, but whether I'm going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I'm not sure."

Djokovic fulfilled a career ambition by clinching Olympic gold last year but he did not win a major, with form, injury and younger rivals all getting in his way.

He pulled out a trump card for Melbourne, where he has had his greatest successes, hiring another former rival in Andy Murray as his coach.

Asked if their partnership would continue, he was non-committal.

"I don't know. You know, we both were disappointed with what just happened, so we didn't talk about the future steps," he said.

"We are so fresh off the court. I'll definitely have a chat with Andy and thank