Sinner Photo/ World number two Jannik Sinner took kindly to his Australian Open campaign after falling to Novak Djokovic in Friday’s thrilling five-set semi-final, thanking fans for their support and hailing the Serb’s progress to the final. Sinner suffered a painful defeat at Rod Laver Arena, leading two sets to one before being unable to close out the contest. The disappointment was evident in his immediate reaction, with the Italian admitting that the loss “hurt him a lot”. Sinner, who arrived in Melbourne with ambitions of a third straight Australian Open crown, has also had recent success against Djokovic, beating him in their previous five matches. On this occasion, however, the second seed had to rue missed chances as he was able to convert only two of 18 break points against the 38-year-old.
contribution by Jannik Sinner
“Not my day but I gave it my all. Congratulations @DjokerNole, always an honor to share the court with you. Thanks everyone for all the support over the last two weeks. Work continues. See you soon,” Sinner wrote on X after the game. Sunday’s final will be the first men’s Grand Slam title match since Wimbledon 2024 not to feature Sinner when Carlos Alcaraz defeated Djokovic at the All England Club. Despite the setback, the 24-year-old was generous in his praise for Djokovic, insisting the Serb’s performance came as no surprise. “He’s won 24 Grand Slams. We know each other very well, how we play. I’ve always said: (you can’t be) surprised because I feel like he’s the best player for many, many years. Of course he’s playing less tournaments because of his age and everything, but we also know how important the Grand Slams are for me, for him, for Carlos and for everybody. Hope and I played that little extra motivation. maybe to see what I can improve on,” Sinner said during Friday’s interview on the court.
