Novak Djokovic has been unbeatable when he reaches the semi-final stage at the Australian Open. The record 10-time champion, who is chasing his 25th major this weekend, is 20-0 across semi-final and final matches at the hard-court major.
The man aiming to end Djokovic’s perfect record on Friday afternoon is Italian Jannik Sinner.
Sinner trails the Serbian 2-4 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series but has won two of their past three meetings, including at the Davis Cup Finals in November, when he saved three match points to triumph.
Sinner has also won 18 of his past 19 matches and has yet to drop a set in Melbourne, spending 11 hours and 22 minutes on court. Djokovic has lost three sets en route to the last four and spent 15 hours and nine minutes on court, including three hours and 45 minutes in a tough four-set quarter-final victory against Taylor Fritz.
Fresh and in-form, Sinner is ready to try and become the first man since Hyeon Chung in 2018 to defeat the 36-year-old in Melbourne
“This is what I practise for, to play against the best players in the world,” said Sinner, who is seeking his first major final. “Obviously he has an incredible record here, so for me it's a pleasure to play against him, especially in the final stages of the tournament where things are a little bit more interesting.
“I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be tough. This, I know. I will control the controllable, which is giving 100 per cent, having the right attitude, fighting for every ball. And then we see the outcome.”
The 10-time tour-level champ Sinner, currently No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, is competing in just his second major semi-final, having lost to Djokovic at this stage at Wimbledon last season.
In contrast, Djokovic will contest his 48th Slam semi-final and is aiming to earn his 367th major match win. Victory would draw him level with Serena Williams in second place on the all-time list for major match victories, closing the gap of Roger Federer’s all-time record of 369.
The top seed, who is guaranteed to leave Australia as the No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, recorded his 33rd consecutive Australian Open victory when he defeated Fritz. If he beats Sinner, he will break a tie with Monica Seles for the most consecutive wins in Melbourne.
“I'm aware of the streak that I'm on and the amount of matches that I have won in my career on the Rod Laver Arena,” Djokovic said. “I don't want to let that go. The longer the streak goes, the more that kind of confidence [grows], also expectations built, but also the willingness to really walk the extra mile. I just love playing on this court. It's been "the" court for me in my career.”
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Fans will expect fireworks when Djokovic and Sinner compete on Rod Laver Arena from 2:30 p.m. local time Friday.
Sinner is one of the purest ballstrikers on Tour and has caused his opponents problems with his power and weight of shot off both wings in Melbourne. The Italian timed the ball with clean aggression during victories against the Serbian in the Nitto ATP Finals round-robin stage and at the Davis Cup Finals last season.
Djokovic has neutralised many powerful ball-strikers in his career, though, locking in during lengthy exchanges to force opponents to hit one more shot. During his win against the Italian in the Nitto ATP Finals title match, he also demonstrated his own aggression, playing front-foot tennis behind pinpoint serving.
Sinner will enter the match with belief, having won eight of his past nine matches against Top 5 players, with his only defeat coming against Djokovic. The fourth seed is trying to become the fifth Italian man to reach a major final and the youngest player to advance to the Australian Open title match since Djokovic in 2008.
Djokovic has won his past 16 matches against Top 5 players at the Australian Open and is chasing his fifth consecutive Slam final. The 36-year-old is aiming to reach his sixth major title match since turning 35, which would equal Ken Rosewall's Open Era record for the most finals after turning 35. The winner between Djokovic and Sinner will face Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev on Sunday.
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