Djokovic retires, Zverev reaches first final

Novak Djokovic retired injured after losing the first set 7-6(5) against Alexander Zverev to put the German through to his first Australian Open final and extend his wait for a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Zverev will meet either Jannik Sinner or Ben Shelton in Sunday's decider as he bids for his first Grand Slam title, but Djokovic will remain locked with Margaret Court on 24 major trophies until at least the French Open.
There were doubts about Djokovic's left thigh following his taxing quarterfinal win over Carlos Alcaraz when he took a lengthy medical timeout after the first set against the Spaniard.
The 37-year-old Serb skipped a training session on the eve of the semifinal and entered Rod Laver Arena for the afternoon match with the thigh strapped.
With a rueful expression, Djokovic held two thumbs up and clapped at the terraces but there was a round of boos as the 10-times champion made his exit.
Meanwhile Australians Olivia Gadecki and John Peers battled back from a set down to defeat compatriots Kimberly Birrell and John-Patrick Smith 3-6 6-4 10-6 in the mixed doubles final at Melbourne Park.
Birrell and Smith raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set on Rod Laver Arena and while they were pegged back to 5-2 they kept their cool to close it out in 34 minutes.
Gadecki and Peers stepped up a gear to level the contest in a tight second set before going on to win the 10-point tiebreaker and become the fourth Australian duo in the Open-era to win the mixed doubles title at the tournament.
While it was Gadecki's first mixed doubles title at a Grand Slam, Peers picked up his second having won the 2022 U.S. Open in the category. The 36-year-old also won men's doubles gold at the Paris Olympics with compatriot Matthew Ebden and the 2017 Australian Open alongside Finn Henri Kontinen.
Smith, who was also a runner-up in the mixed doubles at Melbourne Park in 2019, would have hoped for a brighter day on his 36th birthday.