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Tag: retiring

  • Novak Djokovic booed after retiring from Australian Open semifinal match with injury

    Novak Djokovic booed after retiring from Australian Open semifinal match with injury

    The Melbourne, Austrailia, crowd was not kind to Novak Djokovic early Friday morning.

    In his quest to extend his record with a 25th grand slam, Djokovic only managed to play one set, withdrawing from his Australian Open semifinal match after tearing a muscle in his left leg.

    The withdrawal sent Alexander Zverev to Sunday’s final against Jannick Sinner, and it left the crowd disappointed.

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    Serbia’s Novak Djokovic packs his bags after retiring from his men’s singles semi-final match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev on day 13 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Jan. 24, 2025. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

    After he conceded the match to Zverev, who won the set, fans booed him as he walked off toward the locker room.

    Djokovic stopped, turned around and responded by giving two thumbs-up.

    Zverev made his disappointment with the crowd known.

    “Don’t boo a player when he goes out with injury. I know that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to see a great five-set match, but you gotta understand Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given this sport for the past 20 years absolutely everything of his life,” Zverev said in his on-court interview.

    Novak thumbs up

    Novak Djokovic of Serbia exits after his match against Alexander Zverev of Germany in the semifinals of the men’s singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. (Mike Frey-Imagn Images)

    “He has won this tournament with an abdominal tear. He has won this tournament with a hamstring tear. If he can’t continue a tennis match, it really means he can’t continue a tennis match. So, please be respectful.”

    AMERICAN TENNIS STAR BEN SHELTON PUTS AUSTRALIAN OPEN TV INTERVIEWERS ON BLAST OVER TREATMENT OF PLAYERS

    John McEnroe added on the call, “They can’t possibly be booing him. Please! He’s won this 10 times, for god’s sakes. Unreal…

    “I mean, clearly something was up. The guy is a battler. I mean, him and Rafa [Nadal] have dug deeper than any two players I have seen. So to do that because he decided that he couldn’t go on after what he’s done here I thought was absolutely ludicrous, honestly. That was almost as depressing as seeing the end of the match.”

    Djokovic suffered the injury during his five-set classic with Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal, but he said the pain was getting “worse and worse.”

    “Towards the end of that first set, I just started feeling more and more pain, and it was too much to handle for me at the moment. So, yeah, unfortunate ending, but I tried,” Djokovic said.

    “I knew even if I won the first set, it was going to be a huge uphill battle for me.”

    He withdrew from last year’s French Open before the quarterfinals after tearing the meniscus in his right knee during a match.

    Djokovic had surgery a couple of days later and immediately reached the final at the following major, Wimbledon, then won a gold medal for Serbia at the Paris Olympics.

    Novak tired

    Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts on a point against Germany’s Alexander Zverev during their men’s singles semi-final match on day 13 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Jan. 24, 2025. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

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    This will be Zverev’s first final at the Australian Open and the third final of his career. He also made last year’s French Open final as well as the 2020 U.S. Open.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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  • Patrick Mahomes opens up on Travis Kelce potentially retiring: ‘If it’s his last game, let’s go get him a win’

    Patrick Mahomes opens up on Travis Kelce potentially retiring: ‘If it’s his last game, let’s go get him a win’

    Tom Brady discusses officiating and the Chiefs | The Herd

    Patrick Mahomes said “a lot of other plays decided the outcome” regarding the Kansas City Chiefs’ controversial win over the Houston Texans. Colin Cowherd and Tom Brady discuss officiating and the Chiefs and if there’s any issues.

    Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes answered questions about tight end Travis Kelce potentially retiring after this season during an interview on 96.5 The Fan on Tuesday. 

    Mahomes claimed he hasn’t had any discussions whether the tight end plans to retire, but acknowledged that if he does, then Mahomes wants the team to send him out on a high note.

    “I have no idea. He hasn’t said anything to me if he’s thinking that,” Mahomes said, later adding, “If it is his last game, let’s go out there and get him a win. If it’s not his last game, let’s go out and get him a win anyway.”

    Mahomes also brought up the fact that Kelce is currently under contract through the end of next season, but that the tight end also has a lifestyle that he may enjoy in retirement.

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    Taylor looked lucky in love as she supported Travis Kelce following his big win at the AFC Championship game. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

    “I know he signed a two-year extension before the season. It seems like he still loves football. But he also has a great life, as well,” Mahomes said. 

    Kelce signed a $34.25 million contract back in April, after some speculation that the 2023 season would be his last.

    Kelce has been Mahomes’ favorite target since the quarterback took over as the full-time starter in 2018. The duo has won three Super Bowls together, and is currently on a mission to win a fourth and become the first team in NFL history to win three in a row. 

    Mahomes and Kelce have also helped make the Chiefs one of the most popular franchises in all of sports in recent years, as Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift has grown the team’s fan base by large margins among women. 

    “Either way, I just appreciate every time I step onto the field with that guy knowing that he’s a true legend of not only the Chiefs, but of the NFL,” Mahomes said. 

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    Travis Kelce points

    Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File)

    Kelce himself opened up on the possibility of retiring after this season during an interview on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on Jan. 15. 

    “I love everything that I’m doing in this building, but at the end of the day I’m not having that extreme success on the field as I have individually,” Kelce said.

    “I’ll re-evaluate it like I always do, and I’ll probably tell myself how much I love this thing, and I’ll come back next year. I still love coming into the building every day. Does it get hard? Yeah, but I’m not doing it for the stats. I’m doing it for the greatness, the legacy that we’ve created here in Kansas City,” he added “I can’t fathom what it would feel like just being able to say I’m satisfied because I’m still hungry to go and get something right now.”

    After the Chiefs’ most recent playoff victory against the Houston Texans last Saturday, Kelce sent a cryptic message on social media that fueled further speculation that the end of his career is near.

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    Travis Kelce

    Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce scores on a 48-yard touchdown reception during the wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jan. 16, 2022, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

    “Playoff football is the most meaningful football that you’ll ever play in your life,” he said in a video posted to the Chiefs’ Instagram account. “I cherish every single play, man. I really do. When you’re in it, you’re always trying to strive for greatness. 

    “Being greater than what you are. You know, obviously there’s a historic run and something that we can achieve that no other team has ever achieved. You know, that fuels you.”

    At 35 years old, Kelce finished the 2024 regular season with 97 catches for 823 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games, and didn’t miss a single game due to injury. 

    Kelce has also said he has support from Swift to keep playing if he wants to.

    The Chiefs will face the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game on Sunday for the right to advance to the Super Bowl. 

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    Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.