The king of Melbourne lives.<\/p>\n
Novak Djokovic stunned No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Australian Open in a five-set epic Friday morning.<\/p>\n
Djokovic won the final two sets against the two-time defending champ and will now face Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> in the finals.<\/p>\n Novak Djokovic celebrates after upsetting Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open on Jan. 30, 2026. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n Djokovic saved all eight break points he faced in the final set \u2014 and 16 of 18 overall \u2014\u00a0to hold off the heavily favored Italian for the 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win.<\/p>\n Djokovic \u2014\u00a0a 10-time champion in Australia \u2014 got emotional on the court while being interviewed. <\/p>\n \u201cI am at a loss for words right now to be honest,\u201d Djokovic said as fans serenaded him with \u201cNovak\u201d chants. <\/p>\n Novak Djokovic lunges for a backhand in the Australian Open semifinals. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels surreal. Honestly, it feels like winning already tonight. I know I have to come back \u2026 and fight the No. 1 of the world. I just hope that I\u2019ll have enough gas to stay toe-to-toe with him. That\u2019s my desire. Let the God decide the winner.\u201d<\/p>\n The 38-year-old Diokovic had enjoyed a fortuitous run to the semifinals, advancing in a walkover against Jakub Mensik in the fourth round and then winning over Lorenzo Musetti after the fifth-seed suffered a leg injury in the third set after dominating the first two.<\/p>\n Novak Djokovic greets Jannik Sinner at the net after the match. AP<\/p>\n It allowed Djokovic to turn back the clock against Sinner, who had beaten him five straight times. <\/p>\n It was the second of two brilliant semifinals at Rod Laver Arena with Alcaraz taking down Alex Zverev in five hours and 27 minutes in another five-set classic earlier in the day.<\/p>\n The length of that match delayed the start of Djokovic-Sinner, which then lasted four hours and seven minutes.<\/p>\n THE MOMENT NOVAK DJOKOVIC BEAT JANNIK SINNER TO REACH HIS 38TH GRAND SLAM FINAL AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN. <\/p>\n Absolute legend. <\/p>\n Chills. \ud83e\udd79<\/p>\n pic.twitter.com\/PiLA5vCXtC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Djokovic reached the semifinals in all four Grand Slams last year \u2014\u00a0but failed to advance to the championship match each time. <\/p>\n Sinner dispatched him easily in straight sets at both the French Open and Wimbledon. Still, Djokovic was feisty in his post-match press conference on Wednesday when asked how it felt to be \u201cchasing\u201d Alcaraz and Sinner like once he did Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.<\/a><\/p>\n Jannik Sinner at his post-match press conference. AP<\/p>\n \u201cI find if a little bit disrespectful that you kind of miss out on what happened in between where the times when I started \u2018chasing\u2019 as you say Rafa and Roger and now that I\u2019m chasing Carlos and Jannik,\u201d Djokovic said, chiding a reporter. \u201cThere\u2019s probably about a 15-year period in between where I was dominating the Grand Slams. I think it\u2019s important to put that in perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m chasing to be honest. Roger and Rafa will always be my greatest rivals. I have tremendous respect for what Jannik and Carlos are doing and they will continue to do for the next 10, 15, 20 years, God knows how many years they are going to play. They are so young.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t