One of the future faces of the sport has come of age in Melbourne. Jannik Sinner vanquished the world No. 1 and greatest tennis player of all-time, Novak Djokovic, in four sets (6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3) to advance to the finals of the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old Italian is the first player to defeat Djokovic at this Grand Slam in six years, per The Tennis Letter. Sinner has been on the periphery of this breakthrough moment for some time now, but that doesn't make his upset victory any less shocking.
The man staring him down from the other side of the net exudes an aura of invincibility, even at 36 years old. Djokovic has a record 10 Aussie Open titles and had won four of the last five (deported from country in 2022 for not being vaccinated against COVID-19). He has accomplished substantial success in all four major tournaments, but this is always his to lose.
He did not merely give it away, though. Sinner, who did not face a single break point, decisively seized it by putting together arguably the best performance of his young career.
Jannik Sinner finds a way to out-clutch Novak Djokovic in Australia
Sinner bulldozed the 24-time Slam champion in the first two sets and positioned himself well to earn the sweep in the third-set tiebreak. But this is when Djokovic displays his unparalleled mental strength and comes back from the dead.
And so he did, for a little while at least, surviving match point and winning a supremely tense breaker. Many players would crumble in this situation, allowing the legend to capitalize on their decline in intensity and composure. Jannik Sinner had experienced big-stage heartache before, though, and was thusly prepared for this adversity.
The No. 4 seed got the early break in the fourth and pulled off one of the most challenging feats imaginable- holding a lead in a a potential-clinching set against Novak Djokovic. Fans and analysts will gush over the history-making victory, which marks the first time Djoker has lost in the Australian Open semifinals or finals, but there is obviously more work to be done.
Sinner will face either Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev on Sunday, starting at 3;30 a.m. ET. He will enter Rod Laver Arena as a GOAT slayer, determined to leave as a first-time champion.
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