Djokovic loses at the Australian Open — What happened, and what it means for Sinner،
MELBOURNE, Australia — There were plenty of reasons to suggest Jannik Sinner could spoil Novak Djokovic's quest for a record 25th major title when the two men met Friday in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Australia.
Sinner had been the most in-form player of the tournament, winning 15 straight sets before the match. His dominance in the early rounds meant he was also the fresher of the two, with Djokovic spending almost four extra hours on court in his first five matches. And then there was recent history; Sinner was the only player on tour to beat Djokovic twice in the last 18 months.
That said, there was nothing – absolutely nothing – to suggest that Sinner could hand Djokovic one of his most shocking Grand Slam defeats. Here are three takeaways from Sinner's 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (6), 6-3 semifinal victory over Djokovic.
Djokovic fought, in a way we've never seen
The version of Djokovic who entered Rod Laver Arena on Friday was something never before seen at Melbourne Park, the venue where he has almost exclusively played the best tennis of his illustrious career.
The warning signs were there from the first play of the game. Djokovic hit two balls long and another wide to give Sinner a comfortable serve hold. Was it a stain remover? Not exactly, more of a worrying theme that lasted throughout the semi-final.
Djokovic made a total of 15 unforced errors in the first set and another 14 in the second; his ability to find his margin during rallies completely abandons him. In the blink of an eye, Sinner had a two-set lead and had only dropped three games.
The 10-time Australian Open champion managed to avoid a straight set defeat by winning the third in a tiebreak, but at no point did he feel like the momentum was changing. Sinner forced another break of serve in the third game of the fourth set and didn't look back, as Djokovic's errors and frustrations continued to pile up.
By the end of the match, Djokovic had committed 54 unforced errors, almost twice as many as Sinner. He only won 67% of the first serve points and 25% of the return points. But the most striking statistic was the total number of points won, with Sinner winning 30 more than Djokovic over the course of the match. Djokovic's 34% won in the match was the fewest he had in a completed match at the tournament since 2007.
“Look, I was, in a way, shocked by my level, you know, in a bad way,” Djokovic said. “I didn't do much in the first two sets. I guess it was one of the worst Grand Slam matches I ever played. At least that's how I remember.”
Djokovic's struggles, combined with Sinner's serving prowess, meant the world number 1 never even had the chance to see a break point – the first time in his major career that this has happened. It was the type of one-sided Australian Open semifinal usually reserved for Djokovic. This time he was on the losing side.
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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Stan Wawrinka. Denis Istomine. Hyeon Chung. And now, Sinner.
Since Djokovic became Grand Slam champion at this same tournament in 2008, only five men have beaten him at the Australian Open. And while all five matches were shocking in their own right, no one toppled the King of Melbourne Park in more dominant and spectacular fashion than Sinner.
In many ways, it was a Djokovic-style performance from the Italian. He kept unforced errors low, tracked balls all over the court and continually made Djokovic play balls he didn't want to have to touch. He was also effective with his break opportunities and lifted in moments of pressure.
“I think his serve has improved a lot. He hits his corners very well. He serves bigger now and more precise,” Djokovic said of Sinner. He's always been very calm, very composed on the pitch, but I think maybe he's struggled to win the big matches, you know, in the big moments. But now everything is falling into place for him. He's on a very good path.”
Last year, there were signs that Sinner was gearing up for a breakout season. The 22-year-old reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon – where he lost to Djokovic in straight sets – before winning his first Masters 1000 title a few months later in Canada. Sinner closed out the year by finishing second in the ATP Finals and then leading Italy to Davis Cup glory. In both events, he enjoyed success against Djokovic, which gave him a confidence boost.
“It gives you a better feeling when you know you can beat a player,” Sinner said after triumphing over Djokovic. “For me it was a huge privilege at the end of last year to play against him three times in 10 days, because obviously you can train with him, but the match is always different. I have the I feel like it definitely helped me.”
Less than two months later, Sinner reached the final of the Australian Open, becoming the youngest man to do so since Djokovic in 2008. Additionally, whoever his opponent is on Sunday, he will start the match as as favorite to win the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. .
Write Djokovic at your own risk
This loss could impact Djokovic's obituary. They will say that at 36, Father Time has finally caught up with him and if he can be beaten at Melbourne Park, he can be beaten anywhere. But you just can't write off a champion.
Djokovic had the day off. It happens.
Before the semifinal defeat, Djokovic had won 34 consecutive matches at the Australian Open, dating back to 2018. He had lifted the trophy in 10 of the last 22 Grand Slams he had played and reached the final of all the major tournaments he had participated in since Wimbledon. , 2022.
Whatever happens in Sunday's final, Djokovic will remain world No. 1. And, for the foreseeable future, he will continue to be the player most likely to win whatever tournament he enters.
There's no denying that lackluster performance against Sinner, but Djokovic still has the ability to compete at the highest level and win the sport's most important trophies.
“This tournament has not been up to my standards or the level that I would normally play or expect to play, but that does not necessarily mean that it is [the] “The beginning of the end, you know, as some people like to call it,” Djokovic said. “The streak was going to end one day. It was going to happen. I just hope I get the opportunity to come back and play at least one more time and relive the emotions one more time.”
