Melbourne [Australia], January 30 : After snapping his five-match losing streak against young Italian sensantion Jannik Sinner to reach the Australian Open final, Serbian tennis icon and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic said that the match felt "surreal" and reminded him of the Australian Open 2012 final against old rival Rafael Nadal due to the high-quality of tennis played.
Djokovic produced some of his best tennis of the tournament, snapping his losing streak against the young Italian sensation to set up an epic Australian Open finale with world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who is also gunning for this particular Grand Slam title he has yet to win.
The match against Rafa in Australia for the title 14 years back was a massive chapter in their legacies as they gave their all in a five-set masterclass that lasted almost six hours, with Djokovic edging out Nadal.
Now playing against two young emerging stars, Alcaraz and Sinner and enduring struggles as a 38-year-old, Djokovic, who crashed out in the semis of all Grand Slams last year, admitted being "lost for words". He hailed the young Italian for pushing him to his limits.
"I am lost for words," said Djokovic as quoted by the Australian Open website. "It feels surreal to be honest, playing four hours, almost 2 am, reminiscent of 2012 when I played Rafa in the final."
"The quality of the tennis was extremely high, and I knew that that was the only way for me to have a chance to win tonight against him."
"He won the last five matches against me; he had my mobile number, so I had to change my number for tonight. I have tremendous respect for him, incredible player, I mean, he pushes you to the very limit, which is what he did tonight to me," he concluded.
On the other hand, Sinner was "hurt" by the loss and aims to improve after this defeat.
"He has won 24 Grand Slams. We know each other very well, how we play. I am not surprised because I feel like he's been the greatest player for many, many years," said Sinner.
"Of course, he is playing fewer tournaments because of his age and everything, but we also know how important Grand Slams are for me, for him, for Carlos [Alcaraz], and everyone. There is this small, extra motivation, and he played great tennis."
"Hopefully, I can take it as a lesson to see what I can improve on," he continued.
Having missed his chance to get a hat-trick of AO titles and ending his 19-match win streak in the tournament, Sinner admitted it "hurt" him.
"It hurts a lot. It was a very important Slam for me, given the background. It was a good match for both of us. I had many chances, couldn't use them, and that's the outcome. It hurts for sure," he concluded.
Djokovic is now a step closer to his record-extending 25th Grand Slam title and an 11th in Melbourne. The Serbian great won against Sinner in a gripping battle, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, which lasted over four hours, according to the ATP website.
The 38-year-old had dropped the first set and later slipped to a trail of two sets to one, and Djokovic, who had lost in the semifinals of all Grand Slams last year, looked for another exit. However, he saved 16 of 18 break points, dragging himself back into the match with his big-game experience. In the final awaits another young rival of his, Carlos Alcaraz, who is aiming to finally lay his hands on the Australian Open, a trophy that has eluded him despite his number one ranking.
Djokovic has yet to win a Grand Slam title since the US Open 2024, and since then, the meteoric rise of Sinner and Alcaraz has kept him away from the big trophies, with the duo having split past eight major titles between them. Djokovic denied the fourth-successive Sinner-Alcaraz final for a Grand Slam. Had Sinner won, he and Alcaraz could have become just the second pair in the Open Era to meet in four consecutive major finals, after Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who did so between Wimbledon 2011 and Roland Garros 2012.
The Serbian enjoys a slender 5-4 lead over Alcaraz, but their last clash had seen him beat Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open a year back.
Earlier, Alcaraz also produced a display of extraordinary resilience to outlast third seed Alexander Zverev in the record over five-hour marathon Australian Open men's singles semi-final on Friday, booking his maiden AO final after two quarterfinal finishes.
In a five-hour, 27-minute marathon inside Rod Laver Arena on Friday, Alcaraz overcame physical distress and a fierce Zverev to prevail 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5 in the longest semi-final in tournament history, according to the ATP website.