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 well past half-one in the morning in Melbourne, and once again, Djokovic has bent time to his will.
On Friday night, Djokovic refused to bow to form, logic or expectation, producing one of the most stirring victories 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. Djokovic, already the most successful men's singles player in history, had to dig deeper than he has in a long time to get there.
This was meant to be Sinner's moment. Younger, fresher and unbeaten in Melbourne, the 24-year-old arrived as the overwhelming favourite, having beaten Djokovic in their previous five meetings, including Grand Slam semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon last year. Djokovic, by contrast, had shown flickers of vulnerability earlier in the fortnight and admitted he was the underdog. But when the moment demanded it, he found a level that only he can reach.
HOW DJOKOVIC STOPPED SINNER TRAIN
From the outset, the match unfolded as a brutal test of endurance and nerve. Sinner struck first, breaking early and taking the opening set with controlled aggression, his serve firing and his groundstrokes unerring. Djokovic responded by lifting his intensity, extending rallies and drawing errors, breaking for a 3-1 lead in the second set and saving three break points to steady himself. He levelled the match with a whipping crosscourt forehand that felt like a statement.
The momentum swung again in the third set. Djokovic briefly appeared to fade, clutching his chest and slumping into his chair, and Sinner pounced. The Italian had three break points at 5-4 and took the set when a Djokovic lob drifted long, moving within touching distance of the final. Past midnight in Melbourne, the narrative seemed to be settling.
It did not. Djokovic broke early in the fourth set, summoning reserves of belief and resolve that have defined his career. As the clock ticked on, he refused to loosen his grip, forcing a deciding fifth set in front of a crowd that sensed history was being written in real time.
Last year, Djokovic said it plainly. That Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz were pulling away. That the sport had tilted forward and that time, finally, was winning. Most agreed. A new duopoly had formed, and the "Sincaraz" era felt inevitable.
Then came the fifth set. It was punishing, unforgiving and played on a knife-edge. Sinner had chances to break but failed to take them. Djokovic did not. He seized his opening at 4-3, broke serve and suddenly stood a game away from the final.
Serving for the match at 5-4, the tension was almost unbearable. Two match points slipped away as Sinner found winners from impossible positions. Deuce arrived. Doubt hovered. But Djokovic, as he has done throughout two decades at the top, held his nerve. On the third match point, Sinner pushed a forehand wide, and Djokovic lifted his arms in quiet disbelief.
DJOKOVIC EYES 25TH TITLE
At 38, he had defied age, logic and the shifting balance of the sport once more. This was his first win over Sinner since November 2023, achieved by coming back from two sets to one down, and it carried him into the 11th Australian Open final. The undisputed king of Melbourne Park, a 10-time champion here, was one win away from standing alone in history.
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 a reminder that history, it seems, is not done with Novak Djokovic yet.
