The Italian Jannik Sinner ended Novak Djokovic’s record streak of 33 consecutive victories this Friday (26). at the Australian Open, thwarting the Serb’s attempt to win an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title.
‘Djoko’, a 10-time Australian Open champion, had not lost a game at the tournament since 2018, and Sinner broke that spell in spectacular fashion.
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The 36-year-old Serbian was unable to cope with Sinner’s game at the start of the match and committed 29 unforced errors in the first two sets, compared to just eight by the young Italian.
“It was one of my worst games at a Grand Slam,” Djokovic said. “I was shocked by my level, in a bad way.”
“This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the beginning of the end,” he emphasizes. “I still have big ambitions for the other Grand Slams, for the Olympic Games and for the other tournaments I will play this season.”
The veteran did not show his usual regularity on the court, while the focused Sinner, without worrying about facing the man who had never lost a semi-final at Melbourne Park, took a 3-0 lead in the first half.
Later, the Italian broke Djokovic’s serve again and closed the set with a ball past the Serb. In the second set, the decibels on the center court increased and Djokovic seemed to be recovered, but the mistakes continued.
Novak Djokovic in action at the Australian Open Getty Images
Sinner, who defeated the Serb in the last two clashes between the two, achieved a break of serve in the third game to consolidate his dominance in the match.
Djokovic asked for support from the public and the chants of “Nole” echoed through the stadium, but his serve was broken once again and the Italian went two sets to 0.
In the third half, when the score read 5-5, the game was interrupted so that a fan in the stands could receive medical attention. After the restart, Djokovic remained focused and got the better of the tiebreak, in which he managed to save a match point.
But the reaction did not go any further. In the fourth set, the Italian pressed again and took a 3-1 lead. From there, he managed the lead by confirming his serve to end an era at Melbourne Park.
“It obviously means a lot to me to beat Novak here, but the tournament isn’t over yet,” Sinner said. “There’s a final on Sunday. I can’t wait to be there.”
“I really didn’t feel good on court the whole tournament,” Djokovic admitted after the match. “This city is very special to me. I just hope I have the opportunity to come back, to play here at least one more time”, he concluded.
An Italian player has never won the Australian Open. Among the Grand Slams, only two players from the country have titles, at Roland Garros: Nicola Pietrangeli (1959 and 1960) and Adriano Panatta (1976). Now, it’s up to Sinner to put an end to almost half a century of waiting.