Novak Djokovic turned back the clock once more in the early hours of Saturday morning at the Australian Open 2026, where he overcame two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in a grueling five-set marathon to reach his 11th final at the tournament.
With his thrilling 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory in the gripping semi-final battle, Djokovic snapped his five-match losing streak against Jannik Sinner to move within one victory of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.
After conceding the opening set and then falling 2-1 down, it seemed like a familiar script might unfold for Djokovic once again, given his semi-final exits at all four Grand Slams in 2025. This time, though, the 38-year-old stood his ground, fending off 16 of the 18 break points he faced in a four-hour-and-nine-minute epic.
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Pushing himself to the limit under the lights at Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic clawed his way back into the contest and eventually outlasted the two-time defending champion Sinner in a pulsating semi-final showdown.
“I am lost for words right now, to be honest. It feels surreal to be honest. Playing for over four hours, it is nearly 2 am. Reminiscing about 2012 when I played Rafa in the final and that was almost six hours. The level of intensity and the quality of tennis was extremely high and I knew that was the only way for me to win tonight against him. He won the past five matches against me. He had my mobile number, so I had to change my number for tonight,” said Djokovic, who is in his first major final since Wimbledon 2024.
“Jokes aside, I told him at the net, thanks for letting me have at least one [win]. I have tremendous respect for him, an incredible player. He pushes you to the very limit, which is what he did tonight to me, so he deserves a great round of applause… Tonight has been one of the best nights, if not the best night, atmosphere and support-wise, I have had in Australia,” he added.
It’s Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz in the final
Awaiting Djokovic in Sunday’s final is rival Carlos Alcaraz, who earlier endured the longest semi-final in Australian Open history, a five-hour, 27-minute marathon against Alexander Zverev, to reach his first championship match in Melbourne.
“I did watch [Alcaraz-Zverev]. I was very eager to get out on the court. What an incredible match,” Djokovic said. “We tried to match that quality and intensity, but credit to both of those guys, battling it out. I saw Carlos after the match and he told me ‘I am sorry to delay the start of your match’, and I told him I am an old man and I need to go earlier to sleep. I am looking forward to seeing him in a few days.”
No major trophy for Djokovic since US Open 2023
Notably, Djokovic has not lifted a major trophy since the US Open in 2023, a drought underscored by the dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, who have shared the past eight majors between them.
The Italian and Spaniard had also contested the previous three Grand Slam finals, but Djokovic tore up that script on Friday, denying them the chance to become just the second pair in the Open Era to meet in four consecutive major finals, after Djokovic and Rafael Nadal between Wimbledon 2011 and Roland Garros 2012.
The Serbian will carry a narrow 5-4 ATP Head-to-Head advantage over Alcaraz into Sunday’s final, having beaten the Spaniard in the quarter-finals in Melbourne 12 months ago.
Buoyed by his proactive, ruthless display against Sinner, Djokovic will also enter the title match the fresher of the two, having spent less time on court through a unique path to the final.
