MELBOURNE, Australia – There was every reason to suggest Jannik Sinner could ruin Novak Djokovic's quest for a record 25th major at a major when the pair met in the Australian Open semifinals on Friday.
Sinner had been the most in-form player of the tournament, winning 15 consecutive sets in the lead-up to the match. His dominance in the early rounds meant he was also the fresher of the two, as Djokovic spent about four extra hours on court in his first five matches. And then there was recent history; Sinner was the only player on tour to beat Djokovic twice in the last 18 months.
That said, there was nothing, absolutely nothing, that even remotely hinted that Sinner could hand Djokovic one of his most shocking Grand Slam defeats. Here are three takeaways from Sinner's 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (6), 6-3 semifinal victory over Djokovic.
Djokovic defeated himself, like we have never seen before
The version of Djokovic that stepped onto Rod Laver Arena for this semi-final was something never before seen at Melbourne Park, a venue where he has almost exclusively played the best tennis of his illustrious career.
The warning signs were there from the first game of the game. Djokovic hit two long balls and another wide to give Sinner comfortable control of the serve. Was he a loosener? Not exactly, more of a worrying theme that lasted throughout the contest.
Djokovic made a total of 15 unforced errors in the first set and another 14 in the second; his ability to find range during rallies abandons him completely. In the blink of an eye, Sinner was up two sets to none and had dropped just three games.
The ten-time Australian Open champion was able to avoid a straight-sets defeat by taking third in a tiebreaker, but at no point did he feel the momentum was shifting. Sinner forced another break of serve in the third game of the fourth set and didn't look back, as Djokovic's errors and frustrations continued to mount.
By the end of the match, Djokovic had made 54 unforced errors, almost double that of Sinner. He won 67% of first serve points and 25% of return points, the lowest percentage in the tournament. But the most striking statistic was the total points won: Sinner won 30 more than Djokovic over the course of the match. In fact, the 34% of games Djokovic won was the fewest he had in a complete match at the tournament since 2007.
“Look, I was kind of surprised by my level, you know, in a bad way,” Djokovic said after the loss. “I didn't do much good in the first two sets. I guess this is one of the worst Grand Slam matches I've ever played. At least that's what I remember.”
Djokovic's problems, combined with Sinner's serving prowess, meant the World No. 1 didn't even have a chance to reach a break point, the first time in his major career that this has happened. It was the kind of one-sided Australian Open semi-final normally reserved for Djokovic. This time he was on the losing side.
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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Stan Wawrinka. Denis Istomin. Hyeon Chung. And now, sinner.
Since Djokovic became Grand Slam champion at this same tournament in 2008, only five men have beaten him at the Australian Open. And while all five matches were shocking in their own right, no one defeated the King of Melbourne Park in more dominant and spectacular fashion than Sinner.
In many ways, it was a Djokovic-style performance from the Italian. He played quickly in his service games, kept unforced errors low, tracked balls from all over the court and continually made Djokovic hit shots he didn't want to have to hit. Sinner was also efficient with his break point opportunities and rose in the pressure moments of the match.
“I think his serve has improved a lot. He's hitting his corners very well. Now he serves bigger and more accurate,” Djokovic said of Sinner. “He was always very calm, very composed on the court, but I think maybe it was difficult for him to win the important games, you know, in the big moments. But now everything is recovering for him. He is on a very good path.”
There were signs last year that Sinner was gearing up for a big season. The 22-year-old reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon, where he lost to Djokovic in straight sets, before claiming his first Masters 1000 title a few months later in Canada. Sinner closed the year by finishing runner-up in the ATP Finals and then leading Italy to Davis Cup glory. In both events he tasted success against Djokovic, something that has given him newfound confidence.
“It gives you a better feeling knowing you can beat a player,” Sinner said after the biggest win of his burgeoning career. “For me, it was a great privilege to play against him at the end of last year, in 10 days, three times, because obviously you can practice with him, but the match is always different. I feel like this surely helped me.”
Not two months have passed and Sinner has reached the final of the Australian Open, the youngest man to do so since Djokovic in 2008. What's more, regardless of who he faces on Sunday, he will begin the match as the favorite to lift the Cup Norman Brookes Challenge. .
Dismiss Djokovic at your own risk
This loss may have something to do with the writing of Djokovic's obituary. They will argue that, at 36, Father Time has finally caught up with him and that if he can be beaten at Melbourne Park, he can be beaten anywhere. But you simply can't rule out a champion.
Djokovic had a bad day. Happens.
Before the defeat in the semifinals, Djokovic had won 34 consecutive matches at the Australian Open, dating back to 2018. He had lifted the trophy in 10 of the last 22 Slams he had played and had reached the final in all the majors in which he had competed. appeared from Wimbledon. , 2022.
Regardless of what happens in Sunday's final, Djokovic will remain world number one. And, for the foreseeable future, he will remain the player most likely to win any tournament he enters.
There's no denying this lackluster performance against Sinner, but Djokovic still has the ability to compete at the highest level and win the sport's biggest trophies.
“This tournament hasn't been up to my level or the level I would normally play or expect to play, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's [the] “The beginning of the end, you know, as some people like to call it,” Djokovic said. “The streak was going to end one day. It was going to happen.
“I just hope I have the opportunity to play at least one more time and experience the emotions once again.”
