Djokovic can forget Australian Open title after hopeless defeat against Sinner | Tennis

Jan 26, 2024 at 8:10 AM Update: 2 hours ago

Novak Djokovic lost to Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Friday. The ten-time champion lost in four sets: 6-1, 6-2 and 6-7 (6) and 6-3.

Djokovic made an unrecognizable impression in the match against Sinner. He did not appear at all, especially in the first and second sets. The Serbian number one in the world did not even have a break chance against Sinner in the regular games.

In the third set, the 22-year-old Sinner already had his first chance to decide the match. Djokovic survived that match point. Yet he continued to struggle with himself and the strong playing Sinner. The second match point was scored after 3 hours and 26 minutes.

For Djokovic it is the first defeat at the Australian Open since 2018. He was undefeated in Melbourne for 33 matches in a row and won the title in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023. Djokovic was absent in 2022 because he did not want to be vaccinated. Then Rafael Nadal won the tournament.

Sinner will compete for his first Grand Slam title in the final on Sunday. The Italian number four in the world will face Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev in the final battle. They will compete against each other later on Friday.

Joy at Jannik Sinner. Photo: AFP

Sinner puts an end to Djokovic’s hegemony

Sinner and Djokovic faced each other for the seventh time under the Australian sun. The first three times Djokovic was still a size too big for Sinner. In November, Sinner showed at the ATP Finals that Djokovic could be beaten, although he had to give up again in the final.

The last meeting at the Davis Cup Finals, Sinner won in three sets and that victory must have given him a boost of confidence. He was almost flawless on his serve in Melbourne, while Djokovic made many unnecessary mistakes, especially in the first and second sets.

Sinner did not slacken in the third set either. An important difference was that Djokovic started to hit the balls better. With the score at 5-5, the match was halted for several minutes because an elderly man in the stands became unwell. After the restart, Sinner got one match point at 6-5, but he did not use it. Djokovic straightened up as usual and struck in the tiebreak.

Djokovic’s joy was short-lived. In the fourth set, when he was 2-1 behind on his own serve, he gave away a 40-0 lead, after which frustration took over. Sinner, who comes from South Tyrol, remained cool and sovereignly put an end to Djokovic’s hegemony.

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