Ageless Djokovic Defies Time, Outlasts Sinner to Keep 25th Grand Slam Dream Alive

Time, form and expectation finally blinked first at Melbourne Park. Long after midnight, Novak Djokovic once again proved why his name remains etched deeper than any other in tennis history, producing one of the most remarkable victories of his career to defeat Jannik Sinner and advance to an 11th Australian Open final.

In a gripping semi-final that stretched to four hours and nine minutes, the 38-year-old Serbian outlasted the defending champion 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 on the blue courts of Rod Laver Arena. The win snapped Sinner’s 19-match unbeaten run at Melbourne Park and ended a sequence of five consecutive losses Djokovic had suffered against the Italian, including defeats at the French Open and Wimbledon semi-finals last year.

As the clock ticked past 1:30 am local time, Djokovic dropped to his knees before sitting motionless, head in hands, absorbing what his body and mind had just endured. It was a scene that captured the magnitude of the moment: a champion refusing to surrender his place in the sport’s present, let alone its past.

This was widely expected to be Sinner’s night. Younger, fresher and flawless throughout the tournament, the 24-year-old arrived as the overwhelming favourite. Djokovic himself had acknowledged his underdog status after showing moments of vulnerability earlier in the fortnight. But when the match demanded resilience, clarity and nerve, Djokovic accessed a level that only he has consistently reached across two decades.

Sinner struck first, taking the opening set with measured aggression and pinpoint serving. Djokovic responded by extending rallies and forcing errors, breaking early in the second set and stabilising under pressure to level the contest. The third set swung back in Sinner’s favour as Djokovic briefly appeared physically strained, allowing the Italian to edge ahead and move within one set of the final.

The narrative seemed settled. It was not.

Summoning reserves of belief and experience, Djokovic broke early in the fourth set and refused to loosen his grip, pushing the contest into a deciding fifth. By then, the crowd sensed something extraordinary unfolding. What followed was a brutal examination of endurance and resolve, played on a knife-edge where every point carried the weight of history.

Sinner had chances to break. Djokovic did not blink. At 4-3 in the fifth, the Serb seized his moment, breaking serve and placing himself one game from victory. Serving at 5-4, tension filled the arena as two match points slipped away. On the third, Sinner pushed a forehand wide. Djokovic raised his arms in quiet disbelief.

At 38, he had defied age and the shifting balance of the sport once more. The win carried him into his 11th Australian Open final and kept alive his pursuit of a standalone 25th Grand Slam title — a number no player has ever reached.

Earlier, Carlos Alcaraz booked his place in his maiden Australian Open final after a dramatic five-set victory over Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz will now face Djokovic on Sunday, chasing his own slice of history as the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam.

For Djokovic, the stakes are even higher. One win separates him from an 11th Melbourne crown and a reminder that history, it seems, is not done with Novak Djokovic yet.