MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) \u2014 The most successful player ever in men\u2019s tennis felt disrespected, and had to pause before summarizing the offending question out loud just to process it again.<\/p>\n
Novak Djokovic<\/a>, winner of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including 10 at the Australian Open, was fielding questions about his pending semifinal with defending champion Jannik Sinner when he returned serve on one that he didn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n In a nutshell, he was asked to compare eras from when he broke onto the scene while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were at the top of tennis to now, when Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have blocked him from winning a major for the last two seasons.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m chasing Jannik and Carlos? he responded. \u201cIn which sense?\u201d<\/p>\n In terms of trying to break the \u201cSincaraz\u201d streak of eight titles.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019m always the chaser, and I\u2019m never being chased?\u201d he asked. \u201cI find it a little bit disrespectful that you kind of miss out on what happened in between where the times when I started chasing, as you say, Rafa and Roger, and now that I\u2019m chasing Carlos and Jannik, and there\u2019s probably about a 15-year period in between where I was dominating the Grand Slams.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to put that in perspective. I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m chasing, to be honest. I\u2019m creating my own history.\u201d<\/p>\n The top four seeds reached the final four in the Australian Open men\u2019s draw, with No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Alexander Zverev set to meet in Friday’s other semifinal. The winners will advance to the championship decider on Sunday.<\/p>\n Sinner vs. Djokovic, 2 vs. 4<\/p>\n Make no mistake, the 38-year-old Djokovic<\/a> is in Melbourne with one objective: to win a 25th Grand Slam singles title. That would cement him as the most decorated tennis player of all time<\/a>. He reached the semis at all four majors last year, but didn’t contest a final.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n He concedes he’s \u201clucky this time\u201d<\/a> to still be in the running, after trailing fifth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-3 in Wednesday’s quarterfinal before the 23-year-old Italian retired in the third set with an injured right leg.<\/p>\n And that followed a walkover in the fourth round.<\/a> In pure statistics, he hasn’t won a set since the third round.<\/p>\n But Sinner is also counting his luck. He was on the verge of a third-round exit<\/a> when he was cramping and stumbling while down a break against No. 85-ranked Eliot Spizzirri in the third set. He only got a reprieve when the Extreme Heat Policy was activated, and an eight-minute delay to close the roof completely swung momentum.<\/p>\n Sinner is on a 19-match winning streak at Melbourne Park after his comprehensive 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal win over eighth-seeded Ben Shelton.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The 24-year-old Italian has a 6-4 lead in head-to-heads with Djokovic, including wins in the last five. The sequence includes semifinals at the 2024 Australian Open and at Roland Garros and Wimbledon last year.<\/p>\n It was the semifinal win over Djokovic here two years ago that propelled him toward the first of his four Grand Slam titles.<\/p>\n \u201cIt improves you as a player and a person,\u201d Sinner said of his matches against Djokovic. \u201cWe\u2019re still lucky to have Novak here playing incredible tennis at his age.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m lucky to have someone like him in front of my eyes and I can hopefully learn something. I feel like every day, every time he plays, I can learn something about him.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Alcaraz vs. Zverev, 1 vs. 3<\/p>\n The 22-year-old Alcaraz is bidding to become the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam<\/a> \u2014 which is winning all four major titles. The 28-year-old Zverev, seeded third, is bidding for his first major trophy. He’s been runner-up three times, including last year in Australia<\/a> when his trip was overshadowed by German court proceedings<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alcaraz said Zverev edged him in a recent practice match with a \u201chigh level of tennis, high level of intensity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was impressive the level he\u2019s been playing so far, so it\u2019s going to be a great battle,\u201d Alcaraz said. \u201cI\u2019m excited about playing him here in AO in a semifinal. I know what I have to do. I will be well-prepared and if he wants to beat me, he has to sweat a lot!\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n They’re 6-6 in career head-to-heads, including two wins apiece at the Slams. In 2024, Alcaraz beat Zverev in the French Open final, after Zverev defeated Alcaraz in the quarterfinals in Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my case, I\u2019m still chasing that desired Slam,\u201d Zverev said. \u201cOf course, I still want to achieve that, but I also want to enjoy my tennis. Right now I\u2019m doing that.\u201d ___<\/p>\n