MELBOURNE | Earthquake in Melbourne: Novak Djokovic, the world number 1, ten-time winner of the Australian Open, who had not lost a match there since 2018, was exposed by Jannik Sinner, the world number 4, in the semifinals on Friday.
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Djokovic, beaten 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 in just under three and a half hours, was seeking an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam crown at the age of 36 in Melbourne.
At the age of 22, Sinner will compete in his first ever major final on Sunday. The young Italian will face either world number 3, Daniil Medvedev, or number 6, Alexander Zverev.
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End of reign? It's too early to say.
“It’s one of the worst games I’ve ever played at a Grand Slam,” said the 36-year-old Serb. I was terribly shocked at my level. »
“That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the beginning of the end,” he emphasizes. I always have great ambitions for the other Grand Slams, for the Olympics and the other tournaments I will take part in. It's just the beginning of the season. »
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Still, Sinner struck hard, literally and figuratively, by accomplishing something no one had ever managed before: stopping Djokovic as he reached the last four of the Australian Open, not so far in proportions as Rafael Roland-Garros (14 titles) became Nadal's domain.
No breakpoints
Until then, every time 'Nole' had reached the semi-finals – ten times – he had completed the Australian fortnight with the trophy in his hands.
Djokovic remained on the Melbourne Park courts with 33 consecutive wins.
His last defeat was in 2018 (in the round of 16 against Chung). Since then he had collected four more titles in five editions. The only exception: 2022, the year of his incredible expulsion from Australia due to a lack of vaccination against COVID-19.
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He was there looking for an 11th triumph in Melbourne and an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam coronation. At least for a while he shares the absolute record with Australia's Margaret Court.
Beyond the result, it's the manner that stands out.
For the first time in a Grand Slam, Djokovic survived a match without scoring a single break point.
When Sinner, with his exceptional shooting quality, was already in the lead 6:1, 6:2 after 73 minutes and Djokovic, unrecognizable without any obvious explanation, appeared stunned and multiplied unforced errors, often at the beginning of the rally, you had to pinch yourself to believe it.
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The world number 1 certainly didn't have the quietest two weeks in Australia. He certainly stayed in the middle of a grueling duel in the quarterfinals on Tuesday afternoon (against Fritz).
“Not really myself”
But nothing suggested such a scenario, especially not in the Rod Laver Arena, his favorite playground, even against Sinner, the only player who could beat him after Wimbledon and won twice in ten days by the end of 2023 (in the group stage the Masters and the Davis Cup).
On the verge of a three-set defeat and facing a match point at 6 out of 5 in the deciding game, Djokovic almost miraculously managed to extend the game.
Almost an hour after his first chance to finish, Sinner had the last word this time thanks to a break at the beginning of the fourth set (3:1).
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“I didn’t really feel comfortable on the court throughout the tournament,” Djokovic admitted.
“This city is very special to me. “I just hope that I get the chance to come back and play there at least one more time,” he wishes.
No Italian player has ever won the Australian Open. There have been two Grand Slam titleholders in history at Roland-Garros: Nicola Pietrangeli (1959 and 1960) and Adriano Panatta (1976). It's up to Sinner to put an end to the almost half century of waiting.