Novak Djokovic experienced his first defeat at the Australian Open after reaching the quarter-final stage. He was defeated by Jannik Sinner with a score of 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 in a match that lasted three hours and 22 minutes. This loss prevented Djokovic from securing his 11th Australian Open title. Throughout the Melbourne tournament, he did not perform at his best and now looks forward to performing better in the remaining Majors of the season.
Tim Henman, a former tennis player, believes there is no need to be overly concerned about Djokovic’s performance. He praised Djokovic and named him as the favorite in every tournament he participates in. According to Henman, it is understandable for Djokovic to have an off day after winning ten titles and playing 100 matches at a single event.
Djokovic arrived in Melbourne after suffering a loss in the United Cup to Alex de Minaur. He did not have a strong start at his favorite event and struggled against Dino Prizmic and Alexei Popyrin, although he managed to defeat them in four sets. Djokovic was also dealing with a minor virus during this time.
In the third and fourth rounds, Djokovic’s performance improved. He served well and defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Adrian Mannarino to secure a spot in the quarter-final. However, he faced a tough challenge in the opening two sets against Taylor Fritz. Djokovic lost the second set but was able to raise his level of play and defeat Fritz to advance to the semi-final.
Prior to his match against Jannik Sinner, Djokovic had a perfect record in the Australian Open semi-finals. However, Sinner put an end to that streak with a strong performance. Djokovic struggled to impose his strokes and had difficulty in quick exchanges of up to four strokes. He also made over 50 unforced errors in the match. Sinner did not face a single break point throughout the entire match, making it Djokovic’s worst return performance in completed matches at Majors.
Sinner secured five breaks from 11 opportunities and even had a match point in the third set, although he failed to convert it. Nevertheless, he managed to defeat Djokovic in the fourth set, ending Djokovic’s streak of 33 consecutive wins at Melbourne Park. Sinner had a great start to the match, securing an early break in the second game with a forehand drive-volley winner.
Djokovic managed to recover in the fifth game, saving a break point and reducing the deficit. However, Sinner continued to play aggressively and capitalized on Djokovic’s backhand error to take a 5-1 lead. He held his serve in the seventh game and ultimately won the first set 6-1 in just 35 minutes, gaining confidence and momentum.
Novak’s performance in the second set was lackluster, despite serving at 75%. He struggled to keep up with his opponent and ended up losing his serve twice. Jannik took advantage of this, securing a break early on and solidifying his lead with a service winner. As a result, Novak fell far behind and found himself in a difficult position. In the seventh game, he made a forehand error, further widening the gap and allowing Sinner to serve for the set at 5-2. With another solid hold in the eighth game, Sinner took a commanding two sets to love lead after 73 minutes, edging closer to victory.
In the third set, Novak managed to save a break point in the first game, giving him a much-needed boost and allowing him to regain his composure. Both players served well in the remaining games, with Djokovic holding on after deuces in the eleventh game. Sinner, on the other hand, introduced a tie break with a powerful smash winner a few minutes later.
Despite Novak initially leading 4-2 in the tie break, Jannik fought back and landed a forehand winner to make it 5-4. Djokovic remained focused and responded with a lob winner to level the score at 5-5. He then faced a match point after Sinner’s service winner but managed to erase it with a forced error. In the end, Djokovic won the tie break 8-6, extending the match to two and a half hours.
Entering the fourth set, Jannik displayed confidence and put the previous setback behind him. He stuck to his game plan and denied Djokovic two break points in the second game. However, Sinner made a strong push on the return at 2-1, earning a break point after Djokovic’s costly double fault. Novak made a wayward backhand, losing his serve and sealing his fate. Jannik capitalized on this opportunity, overcoming a few deuces in the fifth game and solidifying his break to establish a 4-1 advantage. He then clinched the seventh game at love, delivering a crucial hold and forcing Djokovic to serve to stay in the match.
The defending champion managed to hold at love with a forehand winner, prolonging the match and hoping for one last chance to break back at 3-5. However, Sinner remained focused and landed two powerful serves at 15-30, earning himself a match point. He sealed the victory with a forehand down the line winner, celebrating his first appearance in a Major final at the age of 22.
Looking ahead, Djokovic’s next tournament is Indian Wells, marking his return to the first Masters 1000 event of the season since 2019. Despite his disappointing performance in this match, Novak’s previous achievements and consistency make him a favorite in any tournament he enters, according to Tim Henman.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org