Time and tide wait for no one. Novak Djokovic knows this better than most as he prepares to face defending champion Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals on Friday 30 January.
Relentless effort and a timely stroke of luck have given him another shot at fame, but now he is faced with the inevitable truth. At 38, his biggest rival may not be the opponent he faces on the field, but rather his own body, tested against a rival who is in his sporting prime.
This may be required again. The Australian Open has historically been his most successful event, with 10 titles to his name. He may have had concerns about performance, but given that he had two crossings, Jakub Menšík in the fourth roundand Lorenzo Musetti in fifth place after two sets down to the Italian.
But he’s up against a familiar foe he hasn’t been able to overcome lately. In fact, the last time Djokovic beat Sinner was in 2023 at the Nitto ATP Finals. From then on, it’s all about Sinner, whether it was on hard courts, grass or clay. In the five games since then, Novak has only managed to force Sinner to a fourth set once. Such is the dominance the Italian has shown over the modern-day great.
A CHIP on DJOKER’s shoulders
After his victory over Musetti, reporters may have ruffled his feathers when asked that he might pursue Sincaraz.
“I think it’s a bit disrespectful that you miss what happened in between,” Djokovic said in a post-match press conference.
“It’s probably been about 15 years since I’ve dominated Grand Slams, so I think it’s important to put that into perspective. To be honest, I don’t feel like I’m catching up.”
Novak Djokovic: “Chasing Sinner and Alcaraz? I’m always a chaser and I’ve never been chased? I find it disrespectful that you missed what happened in between when I dominated the Grand Slams for 15 years.” pic.twitter.com/rhPL3gQ4yJ— Danny (@DjokovicFan_) January 28, 2026
“Roger and Rafa will always be my biggest rivals. I have huge respect for what Jannik and Carlos are doing, are they better than all the other guys now? Yes, they are. The quality and level is amazing. It’s great, it’s phenomenal.”
“But does that mean I’m leaving with a white flag? No. I’ll fight to the last shot, to the last point and do my best to challenge them,” he added.
Considering it disrespectful given the oversight when it comes to the Serb’s achievements, it could be the perfect catalyst to ignite the fire that may have been lacking of late.
SINFUL ORIGIN
It was by no means smooth sailing for Jannik Sinner. In fact, he had his own bit of luck during the third round against Eliot Spizzirri.
After collapsing in the third set, The politics of extreme heat came into play, giving him the delay needed to catch his breath and regain momentum to get back into the contest.
He now holds a 19-match winning streak in Melbourne after a quarter-final win over Ben Shelton. But the Italian admits that facing someone of Djokovic’s caliber really changes you as a player.
“It makes you better as a player and a person,” Sinner said of his matches against Djokovic.
“We are still lucky to have Novak playing incredible tennis here at his age.
“I’m lucky to have someone like him in front of my eyes and I hope to learn something. I feel like every day, every time he plays, I can learn something about him.”
ALCARAZ vs ZVEREV – SOME UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Meanwhile, the other semi-final clash has ambition and some unfinished business. Carlos Alcaraz is aiming to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam at the age of 22.
But up against him is Alexander Zverev, with three losses in Slam finals and a hunger to break the deadlock and claim his first major title. The rivalry is also eye candy considering both have six wins.
The question now is who will come out on top
– The end
Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
January 30, 2026