Exhausted Novak Djokovic, 38, beats Jannik Sinner to reach the Australian Open final – after clutching his chest, vomiting, struggling for breath and stripping off on-court
Novak Djokovic is one match away from his 25th Grand Slam title and 11th Australian Open title after putting on perhaps the greatest performance of his career by beating Jannik Sinner.
In 2024 and 2025, Djokovic looked one step behind the two best players in the world. But he used all his genius and all his experience to break a five-match losing streak by defeating Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the match that ended at 1.35 local time.
And now Carlos Alcaraz has to do it all over again as he waits for the final. Sunday’s match will be one of the biggest in tennis history: the Spaniard aims to become the youngest man to complete all four major championships, while Djokovic aims to become the first player (male or female) to win 25 Grand Slams.
A few facts to put this victory in perspective: Sinner had won this title the last two years. He had made the final of the last six Slams in a row. He had won his last nine sets in a row against Djokovic.
“I have no words to say right now,” Djokovic said on the court. ‘It feels surreal to be honest. Playing for almost four hours, I played Rafa in the six-hour final, remembering 2012. His intensity level was extremely high and I knew this was my only chance to win against him tonight.
Novak Djokovic delivers one of the performances of his huge career by beating Jannik Sinner
In addition to facing the reigning champion, Djokovic also had to deal with a physical challenge
‘He won the last five matches against me. ‘He had my mobile number so I had to change my number.’
What happened in the semi-finals in Melbourne on Friday was certainly the greatest day the Australian Open has ever seen. Alcaraz, who was initially unable to walk due to cramp, defeated Alexander Zverev in the longest semifinal match in the tournament’s history – five hours and 27 minutes.
Then Djokovic and Sinner took the stage. The 38-year-old Serbian reached the semi-finals of all four Slams last season, where he retired with an injury against Zverev and lost to either Sinner or Alcaraz in the other three. He was weakened to some extent by injury in every match.
He was waiting for an opportunity that would allow his body to overwhelm the Sinner with all his might. And so, after two injuries to his rivals in Australia left him with plenty of fuel in the tank, the master revealed his master plan.
Djokovic threw every ounce of his body and soul into Sinner, stepping out of his comfort zone and hitting the ball harder than ever. He acted harder than ever on his second serve and sent the ball to Sinner’s forehand.
When he lost the first set and lost the third set, he felt that it would be a noble effort but ultimately in vain.
He appeared to be struggling physically, clutching his chest and breathing heavily.
But what he produced in the fourth and fifth sets was beyond belief and logic. Once again in the career of this extraordinary athlete, we had to bow before the genius.
At various points, Djokovic appeared to faint and vomited on the court halfway through the match.
However, the 38-year-old managed his experienced body as best he could and put on a superb tennis performance despite the conditions.
Only two days left until the Serbian serial champion competes for his 25th Grand Slam title
With his clear victory over the Italian opponent, Djokovic proved that he is one of the few who can compete with two of tennis’ biggest stars
Sinner attacked him at the beginning of the fifth set, and Djokovic came from behind 15-40 twice and protected serve. With the score at 3-3 came the decisive play of the match. As Djokovic served out at 4-3, Sinner showered him with groundstrokes to bring three break points to 0-40. Djokovic, sweating and flirting with the shot clock before each serve, marked the break points one by one and then held them.
The drama and tension continued until the end. Djokovic missed two match points, the second with a forehand over the net, but that could not be denied.
It will take some time for Sinner to understand how he lost this match. Incredibly, he won 12 more points than Djokovic – 152 to 140. He hit 26 aces to Djokovic’s 12 and made fewer double faults. He served his first serve with a higher charge. They made 72 winners to 46 and were level on unforced errors. He had 18 break points to Djokovic’s eight.
But the magic of tennis is that it’s not about how many points you score; It’s what points you win that matters, and no one has mastered the intricacies of this unique scoring system better than Djokovic.
