At 1:33 a.m. on Saturday morning in Melbourne, four hours and nine minutes after his night shift had started, Novak Djokovic sank to the ground with his arms raised and stared at the sky in disbelief. Although Djokovic would normally reserve his most lavish celebrations for his triumphant finals, in reality this result was an even greater achievement than some of his victorious grand finals.
Djokovic is 38 years old, an age when most players have long since finished their careers, but somehow he is still competing for the biggest titles. In the Rod Laver Arena, the most important stage of his career, the Serbian suffered perhaps his biggest setback. He recovered from a two-sets-to-one deficit to beat Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champion and second seed, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to return to the final of the Australian Open.
No player in the open era has come close to achieving the longevity Djokovic demands. The mere fact that he is one of the best players in the world at his age is an unprecedented achievement, but here he defeated one of the two dominant players in the sport and survived, breaking a five-match losing streak against Sinner.
Djokovic, the fourth seed, was in tears in the immediate aftermath of his win: “I’m at a loss for words right now, to be honest. Oh my God, where am I?” [start]? It feels surreal, to be honest,” Djokovic said. “Playing for four hours, almost two hours at night. Memories of 2012, when I played against Rafa in the final. That was almost six o’clock.”
He continued: “The intensity level and quality of the tennis was extremely high and I knew this was the only way for me to have a chance against him tonight. He won the last five matches against me. He had my mobile number, so I had to change my number for tonight. Jokes aside, I said to him on the net, ‘Thanks for at least getting me one.'”
As he chases a record 25th Grand Slam title – he already has two more than any other male player – he has become the oldest man in the open era to reach the final of the Australian Open. Djokovic has reached his 11th final in Melbourne, a men’s record, and his 38th grand slam final, the highest overall.
Djokovic will look to reignite his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz in the final after the No. 1 secured his own stunning five-set victory over Alexander Zverev. The final will pit the greatest veteran in the history of the sport against possibly the greatest youngster. While Djokovic aims to become the oldest men’s grand slam champion in history, Alcaraz will attempt to become the youngest man in history to achieve the career grand slam at the age of 22.
‘I saw Carlos afterwards [his] match and he said to me, ‘I’m sorry I delayed the start of your match,'” he said. “I told him, ‘I’m an old man, I should go to sleep earlier.’ So I’m looking forward to seeing him in a few days.”
Perhaps the only thing more impressive than this feat was how Djokovic actually pulled it off. During his four hours on court, Djokovic saw 72 winners fly past him, compared to just 42 unforced errors from Sinner, with the Italian serving 26 aces, the most of his career.
This was a match of the highest quality, played with an intensity that Djokovic struggled with. But even against the most devastating ball striker on the ATP tour, he refused to be bullied. Djokovic held the baseline throughout, hitting his forehand when he took the ball early, sending the ball off both wings in spectacular fashion and maintaining his fearless aggression in the key moments. He served with tremendous precision under pressure and moved exceptionally well.
Djokovic faced a total of 18 break points, of which he saved 16. In the final set, he somehow survived two dangerous service games early on, holding off all eight of Sinner’s generated break points with an astonishing serve and ferocious attack. “Honestly, it feels like winning [the title] tonight,” he said.
During this match, Djokovic had given even his most loyal fans enough reason to doubt him. On Wednesday, Djokovic was completely outplayed by fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti before the Italian was forced to retire while leading by two sets. This had been preceded by a withdrawal from 16th seed Jakub Mensik, in round four, meaning Djokovic had not won a set since the third round.
There was a silver lining to this strange series of events. In each of his four grand slam semi-finals last year, the physical demands were too high for his aging body. By the time he reached the final rounds, he was unable to compete with the best. Djokovic never doubted his level, but he had serious concerns about his physicality at the age of 38.
Finally able to face Sinner with fresh legs, he refused to let the opportunity pass him by, achieving another historic achievement in an unparalleled career full of legs.
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