The 2026 men's Australian Open semifinals were held on Thursday night. Tennis fans were likely anticipating another epic final between top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz and No. 2 Jannik Sinner. But Novak Djokovic had other plans.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated Sinner in five sets, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Afterward, Sinner was asked whether he was surprised or not by Djokovic's level of play.
“No. He has won 24 Grand Slams,” Sinner said point-blankly.
“We know each other very well, how we play. Surprised, not, because he is the greatest player for many, many years. Of course, he is playing less tournaments because of his age. But we know how important Grand Slams are, for me, for him, for Carlos [Alcaraz], everyone… He played great tennis, and hopefully I can see… take it as a lesson.”
Question: “Were you surprised by Novak Djokovic’s level?”
Jannik Sinner: “No. He’s won 24 Grand Slams. He’s the greatest of all time and reminded us why. I’ll take this as a lesson.”pic.twitter.com/LbnpdWLrdR
— Danny (@DjokovicFan_) January 30, 2026
Djokovic is 38 years old. Yet, he is still playing at an exceptionally high level.
He will enter Sunday's final against Alcaraz in search of his 25th Grand Slam. That would break a tie with Australian legend Margaret Court for the most in tennis history. He already set the mark on the men's side with 24, 10 of which came down under.
Sunday will likely be the best chance he'll get the rest of his career.
Alcaraz will be coming off a 5 1/2-hour semifinal win over Alexander Zverev. During the match, the Spaniard was cramping up several times. At one point, it looked like he might concede the match. But the world's top-ranked player pushed through, with Zverev serving for the match in the fifth set.
With a win on Sunday, Alcaraz will become the youngest player ever to complete the career Grand Slam. So, one way or the other, history is going to be made.
