Novak Djokovic outlasts Jannik Sinner, moves one win from historic 25th Grand Slam

Novak Djokovic is now one win away from clinching his 11th Australian Open title—and making tennis history—after taking down two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in a thriller on Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic had to dig deep over the course of five sets and more than four hours to prevail 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 against his generational rival. Along the way, he snapped five-match losing streak to the 24-year-old Italian that stretched back to 2023. That run included three Grand Slam semifinal defeats—at the 2024 Australian Open, 2025 Roland Garros and 2025 Wimbledon—making Friday night’s victory all the more significant.

"I wouldn't dare to call it (my) finest ever, but definitely the finest in the last couple of years," Djokovic said of his semifinal performance. "Under the circumstances, in semis against Sinner, who has been playing best tennis of his life in last couple of years, particularly here, two-time defending champion? It doesn't get better than this."

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The 24-time Grand Slam champion—who lost in the semifinals at all four majors last year—now has a chance to break his title tie with Australian legend Margaret Court. A 25th major would give Djokovic sole ownership of the all-time record for most Grand Slam singles titles in tennis history.

Standing in his way is world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, setting up a blockbuster rematch of the 2024 Wimbledon final and the Paris Olympics gold-medal match. The 22-year-old Spaniard advanced earlier in the day after a marathon battle with No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev, edging through 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in nearly five and a half hours.

"I look forward to it," Djokovic said. "Look, I play tennis competitively mainly to be able to reach the finals of Grand Slams. Here I am, so I cannot complain about anything. I'm just trying to enjoy the moment that I'm experiencing tonight.

"I'll think about finals later, but for me, this is win that almost equals winning a Grand Slam."

The 10-time Australian Open champion is no stranger to tough conditions in Melbourne, but at 38 even the greatest players feel the toll. Djokovic entered the match nursing foot blisters and was frequently seen hunched over between points.

“You always have some minor issues with your body, at least for me every single day. But major issues, no,” Djokovic told press before the match. “Thankfully, that’s still not posing a challenge or an obstacle for me to be able to play and move around the way I want to.”

Still, Djokovic was as fresh as he could reasonably be. He received a fourth-round walkover from Jakub Mensik and had been trailing Lorenzo Musetti by two sets when the Italian retired due to injury in the quarterfinals. As a result, Djokovic had not won a set at the Australian Open since the third round—until he became the first player of the tournament to take a set off Sinner in the semifinal.

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Defending champion Sinner seized control early with a commanding display in the opening set. Djokovic began to find his rhythm late in that first set and carried the momentum into the second, coming out aggressively to level the match.

The world No. 2 leaned heavily on his powerful serve to maintain control. Sinner struck 26 aces, landed 75 percent of his first serves (100 of 133) and won 80 percent of those points across five sets. But Djokovic, widely regarded as one of the greatest returners in the game, continued to probe for openings and apply pressure whenever opportunities arose.

Sinner appeared poised to break through in the final set, earning eight break points across three different Djokovic service games—including a tense moment at 4-3, when the Serbian trailed 0-40 as Sinner pushed to recover the lone break of serve. Staring down the prospect of a decisive super tiebreak, Djokovic held his nerve, saving three break points on his way to closing out the victory.

Djokovic has now won 17 of his last 18 four- and five-set matches at the Australian Open. His only loss in that span came against Sinner in the 2024 semifinals.