Novak Djokovic (AP Photo) MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic stretched out his arms and gazed up into the night sky in Melbourne, celebrating one of his biggest victories on a court of his own making. The world No. 4, who had lost to Jannik Sinner in their last five meetings, came through in remarkable fashion 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach his 11th Australian Open and 38th major final. “To be honest, I’m at a loss for words,” the 38-year-old said. “It feels almost surreal. When I played for four hours, I remembered playing Rafa (Nadal) in the final; it was six hours. He (Sinner) had my mobile number, I had to change it!” Earlier, Djokovic responded brilliantly in the second set, racing to a 4-1 lead and quickly silencing questions about the 24-time major champion’s form. There were doubts the 38-year-old would make the final four as he had played little tennis since Saturday, after a fourth-round exit and the quarter-finals interrupted by an injury to Lorenzo Musetti. The Serb struggled against fifth seed Musetti, who led by two sets before being forced to withdraw. There were also concerns about the blisters on his feet that were holding Djokovic back. Once Djokovic took the second set to level the match, the crowd became the deciding factor in the second semi-final. Chants of “Novak, Novak” lifted him, carrying the Serb, although he didn’t look his best in the third set, at one point collapsing in his courtside seat during a changeover. The ten-time champion regrouped in the fourth set and forced the match into a decisive fifth. It was only the second time during these championships that a five-set match was played at Rod Laver Arena. After the Carlos Alcaraz-Alexander Zverev semifinal, the first five-set match on the main court of this year’s tournament, Sinner and Djokovic performed another epic. Sinner, not at his best in his run to the semi-finals, had early chances to break in the fifth set, but Djokovic had it all on the big points. He delivered 13 first serves in 15 break opportunities to hold the position. It was Djokovic who struck first, breaking in the seventh game as the crowd rose to their feet and the Serb waved his fist. Sinner had three more breakaway chances at 0:40 in the eighth, but couldn’t convert. The 24-time major champion, who lost in the semifinals at all four Grand Slams last year, returned to a major final for the first time since Wimbledon 2024.
