Novak Djokovic has insisted he will not “walk out with a white flag” as he prepares for his final battle with one of the ATP’s dominant top two in a grand slam semi-final, this time against two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in New York on Friday.
“I’m writing my own history, and I think I’ve been very clear when I said that my intention is always to… reach the championship match in every tournament, especially in slams,” Djokovic said. “Slams are one of the biggest reasons I continue to compete and play tennis. That’s all I can say.”
“Are [Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz] better right now than me and all the other guys? Yes, they are. I mean, the quality and level are great. It’s great. It’s phenomenal. But does that mean I walk out with a white flag? No. I’m going to fight until the last shot, until the last point, and do my utmost to challenge them.”
The match marks Djokovic’s fifth consecutive Grand Slam semi-final, a remarkable development at the age of 38. Last year he struggled physically in the latter stages of each of his four semi-finals as his body was unable to withstand the physical demands of six best-of-five sets matches. But this year, Djokovic has spent just nine hours and seven minutes on court while playing 11 completed sets.
In theory, this is an extremely positive development for Djokovic, who managed to conserve energy over five rounds and should ultimately start his match against Sinner in good physical condition. The problem is that despite being in the semi-finals, he hasn’t won a set since the third round. After being given a walkover in the second round against 16th seed Jakub Mensik, he was thoroughly outplayed by Lorenzo Musetti for two sets before a remarkable bit of luck. One set away from one of the biggest victories of his career, the Italian had to retire due to an injury.
Of his 53 previous grand slam semi-finals, the all-time record, there have been numerous instances where Djokovic has gone into the final two rounds with an injury, out of form or struggling in other ways – but usually he has at least been able to draw on the confidence of winning tennis matches. Here the Serbian will face the player who has won more hard court matches than anyone in the past two years and has dominated the past five meetings with victories over Djokovic at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. It’s hard to remember another time when Djokovic entered a big match as a heavy underdog.
Before they take to the court, Alcaraz will look to continue his quest for a career grand slam as he faces by far the toughest challenge of the tournament in No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev. There are many details that paint a favorable picture for Alcaraz, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament and continues to play great tennis without the focus and application errors that accompanied his brilliance during his first years on the tour.
However, he will still need to produce a quality match against an in-form Zverev, who has performed at a very high level throughout the tournament. Zverev has served extremely well, hitting his forehand with authority and aggression in the decisive moments, and he has carried himself well in previous matches against Alcaraz, with a head-to-head record of six wins apiece. Still, both Alcaraz and Sinner are right where they want to be at the Australian Open as they are one round away from a possible fourth consecutive major final between them.
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