Online Reporter
NOVAK DJOKOVIC will face Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open tennis final after stunning reigning two-time champion Jannik Sinner yesterday in a five-set marathon to move to the brink of history.
The 38-year-old Serb rolled back the years to battle past Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a 1:32am finish and plays top seed Alcaraz in tomorrow’s Melbourne title decider.
If he beats a player 16 years younger, Djokovic would win an all-time record 25th Grand Slam crown.
Alcaraz defied fitness issues in an epic five-set triumph of his own, over German third seed Alexander Zverev, in the other semi-final yesterday.
With age and injuries catching up with Djokovic, this may represent the Serb’s best chance of seizing that elusive 25th major, although his gritty display against Sinner shows he still has plenty left in the tank.
His last Grand Slam title came at the US Open in 2023, since when Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated men’s tennis.
It has left Djokovic stranded alongside Australia’s Margaret Court – who was in the stadium watching – tied on 24 majors.
Sinner (24), made a rapid start at Rod Laver Arena, breaking Djokovic’s serve to race into a 3-0 lead.
The four-time major winner was in superb touch, his serve firing and his groundstrokes unerring to seal the first set.
Back came Djokovic, breaking serve for a 3-1 lead in the second set and then saving three break points for 4-1.
Djokovic sent a whipping crosscourt forehand beyond Sinner on his first set point to level the match.
Djokovic seemed to wilt midway through the third set, holding his chest briefly and then half-collapsing into his seat.
Sinner had three break points at 5-4 and nailed the set on the second one when a Djokovic lob drifted long.
But the gutsy Djokovic was not done, breaking the Sinner serve early in the fourth set as the time ticked past midnight.
They went to a deciding fifth set, and the tension went up another notch, as Sinner repeatedly squandered chances to break serve. Djokovic was ruthless, seizing the break for 4-3, then holding, to put an 11th Melbourne final within reach.
Somehow Sinner saved two match points at 4-5 down, before Djokovic got the job done third time lucky.
The former world No. 1 is the undisputed king of Melbourne Park, having won 10 titles there.
But he admitted he was very lucky after reaching the semi-finals and acknowledged he was the underdog against Sinner.
Djokovic was two sets down in his quarter-final to Lorenzo Musetti when the Italian fifth seed retired hurt.
He also had a free ride through the fourth round when Jakub Mensik pulled out injured.
Djokovic reached the semi-finals of all four majors last year, but failed to go further.
Meanwhile, Zverev condemned officials for allowing Alcaraz a medical time-out for a leg problem after falling in an epic five-setter to the Spaniard in the Australian Open’s longest semi-final yesterday.
World No. 1 Alcaraz was struggling to move at 4-4 in the third set and was allowed treatment on his right thigh at the change of ends, leaving German Zverev incensed.
Zverev was adamant Alcaraz was struggling with cramp which is out-of-bounds for medical time-outs.
Alcaraz dropped the next two sets but was back running at full pelt in the fifth to close out an epic 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 win in five hours and 27 minutes.
“Yeah, I mean, he was cramping, so normally you can’t take a medical time-out for cramping,” third seed Zverev said at his post-match press conference.
“What can I do? It’s not my decision. I didn’t like it, but it’s not my decision.”
On court, Zverev lashed out at a match supervisor in profanity-laden German as Alcaraz underwent treatment.
“I just said it was bulls**t, basically,” he said later of the exchange, noting that Alcaraz finished full of running.
“He took like an hour and a half off where he wasn’t moving almost at all.
“So again, maybe I should have used that better in a way. Maybe I should have won the games and won the sets a bit quicker.
“Then moving into the fifth, maybe he wouldn’t have had so much time to recover. But the fifth set, the way he was moving, was incredible again.”
Runner-up to Sinner last year, Zverev was serving for the match at 5-4 in the fifth set in yesterday’s semifinal, but Alcaraz won the next three games to leave the German with another near-miss at the Grand Slams.
Still chasing an elusive first major title, Zverev said he had more regrets about dropping the second set than his surrender in the fifth.
“I was hanging on for dear life, to be honest. I was exhausted,” he said, rating the match as probably the toughest physically of his career.
“I think we both went to our absolute limits, so somewhat I’m also proud of myself the way I was hanging on and came back from two sets to love.
“Of course it’s disappointing but this is the start of the year, so if I continue playing that way, if I continue training the way I train, if I continue working on the things that I’ve been working in the offseason, I do believe it’s going to be a good year for me.” – AFP Sport.
