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First set: Djokovic* 0-3 Sinner (*next server)<\/p>\n
Another straightforward hold for Sinner, to 15. This is ominous stuff from the Italian. We wondered if Djokovic would be fresh or undercooked, having played only two sets since Saturday because of his walkover in the last 16 and his great escape against the injured Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-finals, but at the moment he\u2019s simply being carved up by the two-time defending champ.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner breaks: Djokovic 0-2 Sinner* (*next server)<\/p>\n So how on earth does Djokovic win this, given he\u2019s basically playing a younger, fitter version of himself? Well unlike his approach in his heyday, Djokovic will need to shorten the points wherever possible and he\u2019d also benefit from throwing in plenty of variety in terms of slice and spin, and coming to the net when he gets the chance, to disrupt Sinner\u2019s metronomic rhythm from the baseline. It goes without saying he needs to serve extremely well and not give Sinner too many second serves. But at 15-all he lands a big first serve, and Sinner, peak Djokovic style, still sends a backhand pass down the line a few shots later! Djokovic is basically looking at a mirror image of himself 14 years ago. 15-30 quickly develops into 15-40 and Sinner strikes straight away.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n First set: Djokovic* 0-1 Sinner (*next server)<\/p>\n Sinner steps up to serve first, having swapped his much-maligned mustard shorts for some plain white ones, though he\u2019s still got his olive green shirt. He wins a punchy first, second and third point, and it\u2019s 40-0. Sinner can\u2019t close out the game on the first opportunity but does on the second. Five points and five first serves; Sinner\u2019s already got his eye in.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Right, have you got enough energy for some more tennis? Come on, we can do this.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sinner is introduced to the crowd before the 10-time champion \u2013 this is Sinner\u2019s court these days, after all, having won the past two titles \u2013 and he\u2019s aiming to become the first player since Djokovic himself in 2011-13 and 2019-21 to win three consecutive Australian Open<\/a> crowns. The crowd is a little muted, it has to be said; they\u2019re probably already absolutely exhausted having watched Alcaraz\u2019s win on the big screen outside.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Here they come, weaving their way through the new backstage tunnel, Djokovic a few steps ahead of Sinner \u2026 though it\u2019s likely that Sinner will be setting the pace once this match gets under way.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Djokovic has got his game face on now, as he goes through his final preparations in the gym. The form book suggests we\u2019re unlikely to see another five-set semi-final for the ages in this match \u2013 Sinner has won their past five meetings, including straight-sets victories in the Wimbledon and French Open semis last year \u2013 but no one predicted that Zverev would push an ailing Alcaraz to his limits today, and that\u2019s why we watch. No match can be won before it\u2019s played, even though Djokovic himself would admit that Sinner is the heavy, heavy favourite today.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.12 EST<\/p>\n Sinner is looking very relaxed backstage. I don\u2019t think the delay will affect him or Djokovic, they\u2019re too experienced for that. And Djokovic is now congratulating Alcaraz:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And here\u2019s Jack\u2019s match report:<\/p>\n Murmurs around Melbourne Park had been building. That the men\u2019s Australian Open<\/a> draw had not met expectations in 2026. That matches had been one-sided, and lacking memorable moments. That so-called SinCaraz was a foregone conclusion. That tennis had lost its touch.<\/p>\n Murmur no more. In this year\u2019s first match on Rod Laver Arena to go five sets, Carlos Alcaraz leapt off the canvas to outlast Alexander Zverev<\/a> 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 over five hours and 27 minutes \u2013 the third longest match in Australian Open history.<\/p>\n It was so long it pushed the second men\u2019s semi-final back more than an hour and left thousands watching on big screens around Melbourne Park. It was filled with more twists and turns than the Great Ocean Road. It was a duel that tossed expectation out the window, and then opened the door and walked out as well.<\/p>\n Walk? Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> wished he could, when he was within a game of the match all the way back in the third set. The Spaniard appeared to be sailing towards victory, but cramping in his legs left him unable to run, swing or serve at full pace, and allowed Zverev a way back. Alcaraz took on fluids and received massages, including in a controversial medical timeout opposed by Zverev, and rediscovered his form.<\/p>\n But the German remained focused, and quashed Alcaraz\u2019s revival by staring him down in the fourth set tie-break and then breaking early in the fifth. All he needed to do was rely on his potent serve and serve it out. Spoiler alert: this was not that kind of match.<\/p>\n Click here for the rest:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Joey, looking like Alcaraz did after completing victory, has gone for a lie down. Great stuff Joey. You can relive it all here.<\/p>\n How we all feel after that match. Photograph: Jaimi Joy\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019ll have a bit of a delay before the next semi-final as the spectators leave and the night session ticket holders come in.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n So what does this mean for Sinner sorry Sinner or Djokovic in Sunday\u2019s final? Well if either of them wins the title, they owe Zverev a huge favour for beating up Alcaraz tonight. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the most demanding matches I have ever played,\u201d says Alcaraz, whose brother then helps him carry his bags as he hobbles off court. Alcaraz looks like Djokovic did after his five-hour, 53-minute 2012 Australian Open<\/a> final against Nadal; absolutely spent. But Alcaraz has somehow got to find a way to play another match in less than two days\u2019 time.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.54 EST<\/p>\n The Rod Laver crowd has never sounded as loud this fortnight as it does right now. Alcaraz holds for 6-5. And what mettle does Zverev have? The great players go for it in the biggest moments, as Alcaraz did to break Zverev when the German was serving for the match. Zverev was far too passive. An attacking Alcaraz swings his way to deuce here \u2026 and gets a match point when Zverev\u2019s forehand fails! And after five hours and 27 minutes, Alcaraz finally gets the job done, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, when he fizzes a forehand down the line and Zverev\u2019s volley slumps into the net!<\/p>\n Alcaraz is into his first Australian Open<\/a> final and is one win away from a career slam. It may not have been quite as dramatic as his great escape from three championship points down in last year\u2019s French Open final, but it was absorbing, enthralling and confounding nonetheless, especially given Alcaraz could barely move in the third set. And also somehow inevitable, given Sincaraz\u2019s slam supremacy.<\/p>\n Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning an epic semi-final against Alex Zverev. Photograph: William West\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.47 EST<\/p>\n Alcaraz holds \u2026 just. So Zverev is serving for the match at 5-4 \u2013 and a place in the Australian Open<\/a> final for a second consecutive year. And what is now the longest semi-final in the tournament\u2019s history is extended further as Alcaraz breaks a suddenly edgy, error-strewn Zverev to 15! It\u2019s 5-5 in the decider. AND. ON. THEY. GO!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Alcaraz, having barely been able to move a couple of hours ago because of what appeared to be cramp, is zipping around the court now and has two chances to break at advantage on Zverev\u2019s serve. But Zverev shows formidable fortitude to hold, and Alcaraz must now serve to stay in the match at 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 3-5. You can follow the twists and turns with Joey here<\/a>. At five hours and seven minutes, the match is less than 10 minutes shy of being the longest semi-final in Australian Open history.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And here\u2019s Tumaini\u2019s preview of Sinner v Djokovic:<\/p>\n Novak Djokovic has insisted that he will not \u201cwalk out with a white flag\u201d as he prepares for his latest battle with one of the ATP\u2019s dominant top two in a grand slam semi-final, this time against the two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner on Friday in Melbourne.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m creating my own history, and I think I\u2019ve been very clear when I say that my intention is always to \u2026 get to the championship match in every tournament, particularly slams,\u201d Djokovic said. \u201cSlams are one of the biggest reasons why I keep on competing and playing tennis. So that\u2019s all I can say.<\/p>\n \u201cAre [Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz] better right now than me and all the other guys? Yes, they are. I mean, the quality and the level is amazing. It\u2019s great. It\u2019s phenomenal. But does that mean that I walk out with a white flag? No. I\u2019m going to fight until the last shot, until the last point, and do my very best to challenge them.\u201d<\/p>\n This match-up will mark Djokovic\u2019s fifth consecutive grand slam semi-final, a remarkable development at 38. He struggled physically in the final stages of each of his four semi-final runs last year, his body unable to withstand the physical strain of six best of five sets matches. But this year Djokovic has spent only nine hours and seven minutes on court while playing 11 completed sets.<\/p>\n In theory, this is an extremely positive development for Djokovic, who managed to conserve energy across five rounds and should finally head into his match against Sinner in good physical shape. The problem is that despite being in the semi-finals, he has not won a set since the third round. After receiving a walkover against the 16th seed Jakub Mensik in round two, he was thoroughly outplayed by Lorenzo Musetti for two sets before being handed a remarkable slice of luck. A set away from one of the biggest wins of his career, the Italian was forced to retire due to injury<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can read the rest here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile Emma Raducanu is searching for yet another new coach after confirming she has split with Nadal\u2019s former mentor Francisco Roig after her second-round exit last week. Having got through nine different coaches since 2021, she may be reaching a point where it\u2019ll be hard to attract top names because of the perils of taking on the job.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Already today there\u2019s been a home win in the mixed doubles final, with Olivia Gadecki and John Peers coming from behind to defeat the French pair Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, 10-8. Britain\u2019s Andy Lapthorne and Australia\u2019s Heath Davidson were beaten in the quad wheelchair doubles final, losing 6-3, 6-1 to the top seeds Guy Sasson and Niels Vink.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n G\u2019day all and with Alexander Zverev taking Carlos Alcaraz to a fifth set<\/a> in the match of the tournament BY FAR, I\u2019m getting ready to bring you coverage of the second semi-final between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.<\/p>\n Djokovic bristled at what seemed to be a reasonable question after his quarter-final, when he was asked what it\u2019s like to be chasing Sinner and Alcaraz at the end of his career having also chased Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the beginning.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m always the chaser and never being chased? I find it a bit disrespectful you miss out on what happened in between,\u201d the 38-year-old said. \u201cThere\u2019s about a 15-year period where I was dominating the grand slams. I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m chasing, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps he did simply want more recognition of his achievements. Though perhaps his response betrayed a sense of frustration at what he\u2019s up against in this match against Sinner, the two-time defending champion. And perhaps he was also raging against the passing of time, because how he must wish he could go back to his days of dominance to secure that elusive, record-breaking grand slam title No 25 rather than having two young upstarts ahead of him who are taking men\u2019s tennis to stratospheric levels that didn\u2019t seem possible when the Big Three dissipated. The Big Two are a constant reminder to Djokovic of the time he doesn\u2019t have left in tennis.<\/p>\n The story is well-told: Djokovic, the 10-time Australian Open<\/a> champion, has been stuck on 24 since the 2023 US Open, with Alcaraz and Sinner carving up the past eight major titles between them and the Serb being reduced to the status of the third-best player at the biggest tournaments. Last year Djokovic reached all four slam semi-finals \u2013 but he hit a Sincaraz wall in three of them and retired hurt against Zverev in Melbourne.<\/p>\n This year he looks more vulnerable, having reached the semis only because Lorenzo Musetti quit injured when Djokovic was two sets down in their quarter-final, and he also benefitted from a walkover in the last 16. He\u2019s playing with a second life today, and he knows it.<\/p>\n Whether this means he\u2019ll be fresh or undercooked, we\u2019ll have to see. We do know he\u2019s been dealing with a painful blister on his foot, which doesn\u2019t augur well given he needs every bit of movement against Sinner, who does everything that Djokovic does so well but is 14 years younger. With all Sinner\u2019s relentless running and consistency from the baseline, he\u2019s basically Italy\u2019s Gen Z version of Serbia\u2019s classic cyborg.<\/p>\n The players will be on court: as soon as Alcaraz v Zverev finishes. You\u2019re welcome to join Joey<\/a> in the meantime. I won\u2019t be offended.<\/p>\n