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Novak Djokovic is aiming to win his 25th major title and claim sole ownership of the record for most Grand Slam singles trophies.
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Event: melbourne park Dates: January 14-28 |
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Men’s singles semi-final coverage: Live text commentary from 03:30 GMT on the BBC Sport website and app, plus coverage on Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds from 08:00. |
Novak Djokovic faces the toughest test of his Australian Open title defense when he faces Italian Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals on Friday.
The world number one, who is chasing a record 25 Grand Slam titles and an 11th triumph in Melbourne, has not lost a match at the tournament in more than six years.
But Sinner has won two of the pair’s last three meetings, beating the Serb twice in 12 days in November.
In the other semi-final, Daniil Medvedev assume Alexander Zverev.
Live text commentary on both matches is available on the BBC Sport website and app from 03:30 GMT, with radio coverage on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 08:00.
With her quarterfinal victory over Taylor Fritz, Djokovic extended her remarkable Australian Open winning streak to 33 matches, equaling Monica Seles’ tournament record set in the 1990s.
It left the 36-year-old on track to achieve more history at his favorite Slam, where on 10 previous occasions he has never failed to win the title after reaching this stage.
“I didn’t know I was sharing this achievement, this record with Monica. It makes it even more special for me,” Djokovic said after edging 12th seed Fritz in four sets.
“I’m aware of the streak I’m on and the amount of games I’ve won in my career at Rod Laver Arena. I don’t want to let that go.
“The longer the streak, the more you build confidence, also expectations, but also the willingness to go one step further. I love playing on this court. It has been ‘the’ court for me in my career.”
Can Sinner end Djokovic’s record-breaking streak?
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Jannik Sinner has equaled his best result in a Grand Slam, which was reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon last year, where he lost to Djokovic.
South Korea’s Chung Hyeon was the last player to celebrate victory over Djokovic at the Australian Open, as the Serb battled an injury in a straight-sets loss in 2018.
He has since lifted the trophy in all five of his appearances at Melbourne Park, and was unable to defend his title in 2022 after being deported from Australia following a dispute over his Covid-19 vaccination status.
But if anyone can deny it in 2024, Sinner may be in the best position to do so.
The talented 22-year-old fourth seed recorded two confidence-boosting victories over Djokovic late last year, inflicting a first Davis Cup defeat in 12 years on the 37-time Slam finalist after both players won a match each in the ATP Finals.
While Djokovic aims to reach his fifth consecutive Grand Slam final, missing only the Wimbledon final in 2023, Sinner hopes to reach his first, an achievement that would make him the youngest player to reach the Australian Open men’s singles final. since Djokovic. in 2008.
“This is what I practice for, to play against the best players in the world,” Sinner said.
“Obviously he has an incredible record here, so it’s a pleasure for me to play against him, especially in the later stages of the tournament where things are a little more interesting.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be difficult, I know it. I’ll control what’s controllable, which is giving 100%, having the right attitude, fighting for every ball, and then we’ll see the result.”
Medvedev and Zverev renew rivalry
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Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev will meet for the first time in a Grand Slam
Russian third seed Medvedev’s rivalry with Zverev was the focus of an entire episode in Netflix’s recently released documentary series Break Point, and their on-court meeting promises to be fiercely contested with a place in the Australian Open final on the line.
World number six Zverev criticized Medvedev’s behavior following the Russian’s dramatic comeback from two match points down in Monte Carlo last year, calling his opponent “one of the most unfair players in the world” after he exited running off the court to go to the bathroom during a changeover. of extremes in the decisive set.
The 26-year-old German earned his biggest Slam victory with an impressive four-set victory over world number two Carlos Alcaraz in the round of 16 to reach his second major semi-final since suffering a serious ankle injury. at the 2022 French Open, and first in Melbourne since 2020.
The rivalry with Medvedev, 27, has not been happy for Zverev in recent years. Former US Open champion Medvedev, who beat ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz in five sets, has won 10 of the last 12 meetings, including five of six in 2023, and leads the head-to-head matchup 11-7.
“A lot of matches (against Medvedev) were extremely close. It came down to him being very confident last year, playing the best tennis of his life, and I came back from an injury and had no confidence in the decisive moments.” Zverev said.
“Obviously it’s extremely difficult to play against him. There’s no doubt about it. He’s one of the best players in the world right now. I’m very happy to be back where I am and win these types of matches, giving myself the opportunity again.”
Also on Friday, the British government Neal Skupski and American teammate Desirae Krawczyk He will play the mixed doubles final against the Polish Jan Zielinski and the Taiwanese Hsieh Su-wei.
Top seeds Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid Their goal will be to reach the men’s wheelchair doubles final when they face the Japanese duo Daisuke Arai and Takashi Sanada.
British fellow Andy Lapthorne and American teammate David Wagner They are in the wheelchair doubles semifinal against Australian Heath Davidson and Canadian Robert Shaw.