Novak Djokovic stunned Jannik Sinner in a four-hour marathon to make it to the final of the Australian Open. The 38-year-old Serbian player gave his best shot in the knockout clash as he came back from a set down twice in the game, took it to the decider and eventually set the finals date with Spain's Carlos Alcaraz. For the unversed, Djokovic defeated Sinner in the five-set thriller 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Moreover, the Serbian had lost the last five matches against Sinner but came out on top today to end the losing streak.
The dream to win the 25th Grand Slam title is still alive as Djokovic finally ended the semifinal curse. He became the first male player to lose in the semifinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year. But he has started 2026 on a high, ending the curse finally and this could well be the start of something special for the legendary player.
Djokovic, at 38, matched shot by shot, winner by winner, with a 24-year-old Jannik Sinner, who was showcasing aggressive tennis right through. Sinner dominated the proceedings, breaking Djokovic's first serve of the match and won the opening set 6-3. But Djokovic made sure to draw level with a stunning comeback in the second set, winning by a 6-4 margin.
Sinner leads again, Djokovic levels again
Jannik Sinner dominated the third set again to take a lead in the match. But the ageless Djokovic was not going to go away without putting up a fight. He stormed back into the contest with yet another 6-4 win in the fourth set to draw level. He was exhausted by now, matching the intensity level of a 24-year-old, but lived on to play the decider.
Djokovic turns the match on its head
Several times in the final set, Sinner was close to breaking Djokovic's serve. But everytime, the Serbian saved break points to hold on to his serve. This is where the experience came into play as Sinner couldn't do so and conceded his third serve of the set. However, the Italian was 40-0 ahead in the next game and on the verge of breaking Djokovic's serve.
But Novak Djokovic brought his best game to the fore to win four consecutive points to make it 5-3. The man saved his energy in the next game and allowed Sinner to hold on to his serve. However, when his serve came to win the match, Sinner made sure the Serbian had to fight hard. But he made an unforced error in the end that sealed his fate and Djokovic famously made it to the final of Australian Open for 11th time. Remember, he has never lost the AO final in his career and will face Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday for the record extending 25th Grand Slam.
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