Novak Djokovic cannot quite believe it. He kneels on the blue of Rod Laver Arena, then walks slowly to his chair and sits with his head buried in his hands, trying to process what his body and mind have just endured. Four hours and nine minutes of combat have finally ended. It is half past one in the morning in Melbourne, and Djokovic has once again bent time to his will.
On Friday night, Djokovic refused to bow to form, logic or expectation, producing one of the most stirring wins of his career to reach an 11th Australian Open final and keep alive his dream of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. The 38-year-old outlasted defending champion Jannik Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a gripping semi-final on Rod Laver Arena, snapping the Italian's 19-match winning streak at Melbourne Park and ending a run of five straight defeats to the world No. 2.
This was meant to be Sinner's moment. Younger, fresher and unbeaten in Melbourne, he arrived as the overwhelming favourite, having beaten Djokovic in three Grand Slam semi-finals and dominating their recent rivalry. Djokovic, by contrast, had shown flashes of vulnerability earlier in the fortnight and had been pushed hard in previous rounds. But when it mattered most, he found something deeper.
From the outset, the match unfolded as a battle of endurance and nerve. Sinner struck first, taking the opening set with controlled aggression. Djokovic responded by lifting his level, extending rallies and drawing errors from the Italian. The momentum swung repeatedly, neither player willing to yield, until the contest spilled into a deciding fifth set that felt as much mental as physical.
With the crowd chanting his name, Djokovic served for the match at 5-4, the tension almost unbearable - heightened by memories of Alexander Zverev's earlier failure to close out his own semi-final from the same position. Match points came and went. Sinner conjured winners from impossible positions. Deuce arrived, and so did doubt. Yet Djokovic, as he has so often throughout his career, held his nerve. On his third match point, Sinner pushed a forehand wide, and Djokovic lifted his arms in quiet disbelief.
At 38, he had once again defied age, logic and the shifting balance of the sport.
Earlier, Carlos Alcaraz booked his place in his first Australian Open final after edging Zverev in a dramatic five-set encounter. The Spaniard will now face Djokovic on Sunday with history on the line for both men. Alcaraz is chasing the chance to become the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam. Djokovic is chasing something even greater: an 11th final in Melbourne, a standalone 25th major, and another reminder that he remains, remarkably, at the centre of the sport's biggest stage.
Source: India Today
