The present faces the future in a mouth-watering Australian Open semi-final as Novak Djokovic, two wins away from becoming the most prolific slam champion of all-time, battles the rising contender to his throne, Jannik Sinner. Follow live updates!
Djokovic, 36, is bidding for a men’s or women’s record 25th grand slam title and a remarkable 11th Australian Open, and on current form this is the toughest test left.
That’s because Sinner, 22 and playing in only his second slam semi-final, has been the hottest player in tennis over the past four months.
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Since his fourth-round exit at the hands of Alex Zverev at the US Open, the Italian has lost just two matches – one to Ben Shelton in Shanghai, the other to Djokovic in the ATP Finals final.
But in the 25 wins Sinner has recorded in that period he has beaten Djokovic twice, earlier in the ATP Finals and at the Davis Cup, while also recording wins over Daniil Medvedev (thrice), Andrey Rublev (twice) and Carlos Alcaraz, among others.
Novak two wins away from 11th AO crown | 00:55
Currently ranked fourth in the world, Sinner looks likely to crack the top three over the coming months, given he was only defending fourth-round points at Melbourne Park, plus second-round points at Roland Garros.
And so while his only other slam semi-final appearance was a straight-sets loss to Djokovic at Wimbledon last year, Sinner’s apparent rise from the next-gen nearly-theres to the game’s elite has many tipping an upset – and a maiden grand slam title.
To prepare for the showdown against Djokovic, Sinner somehwat surprisingly enlisted the help of Lleyton Hewitt’s son, Cruz.
The pair were captured practicing on Rod Laver Arena earlier today.
Notably Djokovic has never lost an Australian Open semi-final or final, though he is again playing in the day session, which he dislikes.
Follow Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner in our live blog below!
DAY 13 ORDER OF PLAY (all times AEDT)
Rod Laver Arena
Men’s Semi-Final, Not Before 2:30pm
No.1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs No.4 Jannik Sinner (ITA)
Men’s Semi-Final, Not Before 7:30pm
No.3 Daniil Medvedev (RUS) vs No.6 Alexander Zverev (GER)
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