Novak Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner in an enthralling Australian Open semi-final to stand one win away from a record 25th Grand Slam title.
The former ten-time champion was in irresistible form, never yielding under the most intense pressure from the two-time defending champion. The match fluctuated wildly at times but after more than four hours of the highest-intensity tennis, it was Sinner who made the final error, handing the Serb legend Djokovic his shot at history.
The match will surely rank among his greatest ever wins, and while there were plenty of amazing winners throughout the match, it was the resistance he showed when facing break points that truly set it apart from most of Djokovic’s other victories. The Serb saved a remarkable 16 of the 18 break points he faced, including a staggering eight in the final set.
Sinner, although obviously disappointed, will likely look back on this match as another stepping stone to becoming an even better player. Barring a lack of greater proactivity in the fourth set, he just ran into an inspired opponent and should be able to dust this defeat off quickly.
After the match, Djokovic spoke on court to reflect on what he had just been part of, and of the upcoming final against Carlos Alcaraz, looking in parts both stunned and giddy at how the night unfolded.
“It feels surreal. Playing almost four hours, coming close to 2am. I’m reminiscing about playing Rafa in 2012.
“The quality of tennis was extremely high and I knew this was the only way to win against him. He won the past five matches against me and I told him at the net thanks for allowing me this. He pushed me to the very limit.
“Tonight has been one of the, if not the best, support for me in Australia.
“I saw Carlos after his match and he said sorry for delaying your match and I told him I’m an old man, I need to go earlier to sleep. I’m looking forward to seeing him in a couple of days. I hope I’ll have enough gas to stay toe-to-toe with him.”
The opening set began ominously for Djokovic, with Sinner landing every first serve in his opening two games and securing an early break, his devastating groundstrokes proving too much for the Serb. Djokovic battled back to register his first game and briefly applied pressure, carving out a break point with a beautiful forehand down the line. But the Italian remained ice cool, calmly snuffing out the danger before shutting up shop on serve to take the opener 6–3.
The first three games of the second set went with serve until Djokovic attacked Sinner and earned three break points, converting the third for a 3–1 lead by forcing an error from the No. 2 seed with some relentless hitting. The Serb then looked to have thrown away the advantage, with errant play handing Sinner three break-back points, but he upped his intensity to take five points on the spin and hold on to the valuable break.
Djokovic dug himself out of another hole in an epic seventh game, saving a break point with two aces and an unreturnable serve. After a routine hold from Sinner, the pressure was back on Djokovic, but he looked nerveless, taking the first of two set points to level the match.
It was Djokovic who again had the first chance to break in the fifth game of the third set, but Sinner saved it, first with a great backhand pass, then a perfectly measured drop shot. From there, Djokovic appeared to struggle physically with the intensity of the match, and with Sinner breezing through his service games, the Serb played a tired game at 5–4 down to lose the third set.
The fourth set started with another twist, as Djokovic, looking as if he was in the grip of fatigue, went all-out attack, grabbing a break before consolidating for a 2–0 lead. Sinner got on the board with the help of a sumptuous lob, before the next five games went with serve.
Sinner, despite winning the third set, appeared to be in a mild fugue state, but he shook himself out of it enough to earn two break points at 4–3 down, only to fail to convert them in the face of more brilliant play from the Serb. Sinner then held serve quickly to force Djokovic to serve for the set, but despite a spirited comeback that saw him save two set points, the Italian netted a forehand return, to send the match the distance.
After three games of high-quality hitting and defence, it looked as if Djokovic would blink first, but he somehow saved three break points, two with outrageous winners down the line, to keep the set level.
The Serb then sent the crowd into a frenzy in the seventh game, coming back from 15–40 down to clinch a break point when Sinner sent a forehand wide. The Italian fought back to earn three break points on the Djokovic serve, but all were saved by the defiant Serb, who sealed the game with an ace to move one game from victory.
After holding to love, Sinner handed the match over to Djokovic to serve out. The Serb looked to have delivered, earning two match points with more relentless forehand hitting, but Sinner somehow dragged the game back to deuce.
Djokovic then earned a third match point, and when the Italian sent a forehand wide, he was left to soak up the appreciation of a crowd that may have just witnessed the greatest victory of his remarkable career.
