Djokovic loses at Australian Open for first time since 2018

Novak Djokovic lost at the Australian Open for the first time since 2018 as Italian fourth seed Jannik Sinner reached his first Grand Slam final.

Serbia’s Djokovic, 36, lost 6-1 6-2 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 as Sinner regrouped from not taking a match point in the tie-break.

It ends Djokovic’s bid for a record-extending 11th title and a 25th major to put him clear of Margaret Court.

Sinner, 22, faces Daniil Medvedev, who recovered from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev, in Sunday’s final.

Russian third seed Medvedev, 27, won 5-7 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in a remarkable second semi-final which lasted four hours 18 minutes and finished at 00:06 local time.

Sinner’s elimination of Djokovic means there will be a new name on the Australian Open men’s singles trophy.

The Serb had won 33 matches in a row in Melbourne since losing to South Korea’s Chung Hyeon in the fourth round six years ago.

“It was very, very tough,” said Sinner, who is the first Italian to reach a Melbourne singles final.

“I felt like [Djokovic] wasn’t feeling that great so I kept pushing. I just tried to be ready for the fourth set, which I started off really, really well.”

Two-time runner-up Medvedev is aiming for his first Australian Open title, having lost to Djokovic and Spain’s Rafael Nadal in the 2021 and 2022 finals.

His win over Zverev was the second time during this year’s tournament he had fought back from two sets down, doing the same in the second round against Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori.

“I was a little bit lost. In the third set I started telling myself ‘If I am going to lose I just want to be proud of myself’. I won so I’m proud of myself,” said Medvedev, whose sole major triumph came at the 2021 US Open.

For so long, particularly at Melbourne Park, the question has been this: why can’t the younger generation stop Djokovic?

The answer has largely centred around Djokovic’s greatness – his technique, fitness, mindset – but arguably the most significant factor has been an ingrained deference among his opponents.

Sinner came into the latest attempt to topple the world number one armed with the knowledge he has beaten Djokovic twice recently, following victories at the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals at the end of last season.

The caveat was those wins came over three sets.

Doing it over the elongated five-set format is always a different proposition – as Sinner himself found out when he led by two sets in their Wimbledon quarter-final in 2022 before losing when Djokovic took it the full distance.

The way he dismantled Djokovic on Friday was a measure of his growth.

From the start, he pressured his illustrious opponent into an uncharacteristic amount of errors and did not allow him a single break point.

After taking Djokovic’s opening service game, Sinner continued to use his power and accuracy to break again for 5-1 before serving out an impeccable first set in 35 minutes.

There was a sense of shock among a Melbourne crowd not used to seeing Djokovic struggle so badly on Rod Laver Arena.

No male player had ever won as many Grand Slam matches after losing the opening set – a total of 46 comebacks from that deficit – but Djokovic’s task became harder after a second set where he could not stem the flow of unforced errors.

Sinner continued to return well but Djokovic’s level slightly improved in the third set as both men looked solid on serve.

Djokovic edged a tense tie-break after saving a match point and Sinner, who had done little wrong, must have wondered how it was going to a fourth set.

The Italian reset impressively to force three break points in Djokovic’s first service game – which the Serb saved – before Djokovic blew a 40-0 lead to hand over another break for 3-1, which proved decisive.

“The confidence from the end of last season has, for sure, kept the belief I can play against the best players in the world and I’m really happy I can play in my first final,” said Sinner.

“I learned a lot from that defeat at Wimbledon and it is all part of the process.”

Coming into the opening Grand Slam tournament of the season, Medvedev had only won four of his 13 five-set matches.

Now he has almost doubled that tally by beating Ruusuvuori, Polish ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals and now Zverev over the full distance.

After booking his spot in the final, almost an hour after Zverev had two serves in the fourth-set tie-break for the match, Medvedev celebrated by pointing to his head.

His coach Gilles Cervara responded with the same gesture, indicating the mental toughness which Medvedev had to show to reach his sixth major final.

“Before, my statistic on five-set matches was not that good and physically and mentally it’s tough. Many times in the fifth I was not strong enough, so I’m happy,” added Medvedev.

“One month ago I wanted to change a little and be strong mentally. I try to focus more, but I am far from being perfect.”

Zverev, who played some of the best tennis of his career to knock out Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, served incredibly for the majority of the match.

But his forehand let him down at a crucial juncture in the decider.

At 2-2, Zverev made three simple mistakes with groundstrokes and volleys – whacking the net with his racquet in frustration – as Medvedev broke for a lead which he did not relinquish.

Zverev, who found out during the tournament he will face a trial in May over domestic abuse allegations which he denies, has been considered a Grand Slam champion in the making since his teenage years.

Now, after losing to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final, the 26-year-old missed a golden opportunity to achieve that status on Sunday.