Tag: Novak Djokovic

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Alcaraz beats Djokovic to become youngest man to complete career Grand Slam

Carlos Alcaraz is 22, he’s the youngest man ever to win all four of the major titles in tennis, and he had to achieve what no man previously has done to complete the career Grand Slam in Australia.

The top-ranked Alcaraz dropped the first set of the Australian Open final in 33 minutes Sunday as Novak Djokovic went out hard in pursuit of an unprecedented 25th major title, but the young Spaniard dug deep to win 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.

“Means the world to me,” Alcaraz said. “It is a dream come true for me.”

Djokovic had won all 10 of his previous finals at Melbourne Park and, despite being 38, gave himself every chance of extending that streak to 11 when he needed only two sets to win.

Alcaraz rose to the challenge.

“Tennis can change on just one point. One point, one feeling, one shot can change the whole match completely,” he said. “I played well the first set, but you know, in front of me I had a great and inspired Novak, who was playing great, great shots.”

A couple of unforced errors from Djokovic early in the second set gave Alcaraz the confidence.

He scrambled to retrieve shots that usually would be winners for Djokovic, and he kept up intense pressure on the most decorated player in men’s tennis history. There were extended rallies where each player hit enough brilliant shots to usually win a game.

Djokovic has made an artform of rallying from precarious positions. Despite trailing two sets to one, he went within the width of a ball in the fourth set’s ninth game of turning this final around.

After fending off six break points in the set, he exhorted the crowd when he got to 30-30. The crowd responded with chants of “Nole, Nole, Nole!”

When Djokovic earned a breakpoint chance — his first since the second set — he whipped up his supporters again. But when Djokovic sent a forehand long on the next point, Alcaraz took it as a reprieve.

A short forehand winner, a mis-hit from Alcaraz, clipped the net and landed inside the line to give him game point. Then Djokovic hit another forehand long.

Alcaraz responded with a roar, and sealed victory by taking two of the next three games.

As he was leaving the court, Alcaraz signed the lens of the TV camera with a recognition: “Job finished. 4/4 Complete.”

After paying tribute at the trophy ceremony to Djokovic for being an inspiration, Alcaraz turned to his support team. He parted ways with longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero at the end of last season and Samuel Lopez stepped up to head the team.

“Nobody knows how hard I’ve been working to get this trophy. I just chased this moment so much,” Alcaraz said. “The pre-season was a bit of a rollercoaster emotionally.

“You were pushing me every day to do all the right things,” he added. “I’m just really grateful for everyone I have in my corner right now.”

Djokovic joked about this showdown setting up a rivalry over the next 10 years with Alcaraz, but then said it was only right to hand the floor over to the new, 16 years his junior, champion.

“What you’ve been doing, the best word to describe is historic, legendary,” he said. “So congratulations.”

Both players were coming off grueling five-set semifinal wins — Alcaraz held off No. 3 Alexander Zverev on Friday; Djokovic’s win over two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner ended after 1:30 a.m. Saturday — yet showed phenomenal fitness, athleticism and stamina for just over three hours in pursuit of their own historic achievements.

Djokovic won the last of his 24 Grand Slam singles titles at the 2023 U.S. Open, his push for an unprecedented 25th has now been blocked by Alcaraz or Sinner for nine majors.

Djokovic and Rafael Nadal played some epic matches, including the longest match ever at the Australian Open that lasted almost six hours in 2012.

Nadal was in the stands Sunday, and both players addressed the 22-time major winner.

“He’s my idol, my role model,” Alcaraz said. To complete the career Slam “in front of him, it made even more special.”

Djokovic, addressing Nadal directly as the “legendary Rafa,” joked that there were “too many Spanish legends” in Rod Laver.

“It felt like it was two against one tonight,” he said.

At 22 years and 272 days, Alcaraz is the youngest man to complete a set of all four major singles titles. He broke the mark set by Don Budge in the 1938 French championships, when he was 22 years and 363 days.

He’s the ninth man to achieve the career Grand Slam, a list that also includes Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer.

Alcaraz now has seven major titles — his first in Australia along with two each at Wimbledon and the French and U.S. Opens. (JapanToday)

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Alcaraz fends off Zverev in an epic semifinal to reach Australian Open final

Carlos Alcaraz overcame possible cramps and injury to fend off Alexander Zverev in an epic, momentum-swinging five-setter Friday, becoming the youngest man in the Open era to reach the finals of all four Grand Slam events.

At 22, he’s aiming to be the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.

He reached his first Australian Open final the hard way, winning 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in 5 hours, 27 minutes. It was the longest match of the tournament so far, and among the longest ever at the Australian Open.

That’s despite being two points away in the third set from a semifinal victory in a tournament where he hadn’t dropped a set through five rounds.

After a medical timeout for treatment on his upper right leg and massages on the same area at two changeovers, Alcaraz’s footwork wasn’t up to his usual standard for the rest of the match.

He was behind in the fifth set after dropping the first game but kept up the pressure and didn’t break back until Zverev was serving for the match in the 10th.

The top-ranked Alcaraz will next face 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic, who is bidding for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles crown. The marathon afternoon match delayed the start of the night semifinal.

Asked how he was able to recover despite being so close to defeat, Alcaraz just said he kept “believing, believing, all the time.”

“I was struggling in the middle of the third set. You know, physically it was one of the most demanding matches that I have ever played,” he said. “But I’ve been in these situations, I’ve been in these kind of matches before, so I knew what I had to do.

“I had to put my heart into the match. I think I did it. I fought until the last ball. Extremely proud (of) myself.”

Alcaraz was leading by two sets and appeared to be in the kind of form that won him the U.S. Open last year and has helped him evenly split the last eight majors with Sinner.

But in the ninth game of the third, he started limping and appeared to be struggling with an upper right leg problem. After holding for 5-4, he took a medical timeout in the changeover. It may have been cramp, but he rubbed the inside of his right thigh and called for the trainer, who also massaged the same area.

Zverev was demonstrably upset, taking it up with a tournament official, when his rival was given the three-minute break for treatment.

Even with his limited footwork, Alcaraz was able to hit winners and get to 6-5 before the trainer returned in the changeover to massage the area again.

When he went back out, the crowd gave him rousing support. Zverev served a double-fault to open the next game, and Alcaraz lobbed and then slapped a forehand winner down the line to get to 0-30. But Zverev won four straight points to force the tiebreaker and then win it.

No. 3 Zverev, the 2025 runner-up, retained his composure despite Alcaraz’s obvious discomfort and the crowd on Rod Laver Arena being firmly behind the Spaniard.

He was in front for the entire fourth set but Alcaraz stayed with him, until Zverev again took charge in the tiebreaker. More than four hours had elapsed when the match went to a fifth set, the first five-setter on the center court in the 2026 tournament.

Alcaraz dropped serve in the opening game of the fifth set but hung with Zverev, getting five breakpoint chances without being able to convert.

The drama lifted in the sixth game when Alcaraz sprinted across court to track down a drop shot and slid at full pace for an angled forehand winner. The crowd went crazy.

Alcaraz finally converted a break when Zverev was serving for the match at 5-4.

He held for 6-5 and then, with Zverev serving to stay in the match, Alcaraz converted his first match point.

“I’m just really happy to have the chance to play my first final here in Melbourne,” Alcaraz said. “It is something that I was pursuing a lot, chasing a lot, having the chance to fight for the title.” (JapanToday)

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Djokovic outguns Sinner to set up Australian Open final with Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic stunned reigning champion Jannik Sinner early Saturday to set up a blockbuster Australian Open final with Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard survived a five-set clash of his own with Alexander Zverev.

The 38-year-old Serbian great turned back the clock to keep alive his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam crown by upsetting the Italian 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a gruelling 4hrs 9mins on Rod Laver Arena.

World number one Alcaraz needed even longer to tame Zverev, spending a titanic 5hrs 27mins on court, overcoming cramping and a fifth-set deficit to win 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5.

“I’m lost for words right now, to be honest,” said Djokovic, who dropped to his knees and was emotional when the match ended. “It feels surreal.”

Djokovic had lost his last five encounters with Sinner and thanked him for “allowing me at least one win in the last couple of years”.

“I have tremendous respect for him, he pushed me to the limit,” he added. “The level of intensity, and I guess the quality of tennis, was extremely high, and I knew that was the only way for me to have a chance to win tonight.”

The win propelled Djokovic into a 39th Grand Slam final and made him the oldest man in the Open era to reach the title match in Melbourne, where he has won 10 times.

It will be his first finals appearance since Wimbledon in 2024.

Djokovic has been trying to move past Margaret Court — who was in the stadium watching — and clinch a landmark 25th major since his last one at the U.S. Open in 2023.

It has proved increasingly difficult with the emergence of Sinner and Alcaraz, who have shared every Slam title since then.

Against Zverev, Alcaraz only narrowly avoided crashing out after a huge fright at 4-4 in the third set when he pulled up in pain with what appeared to be cramp.

He was allowed to have treatment at the changeover, leaving Zverev furious and angrily remonstrating with officials.

Medical timeouts are not permitted solely for muscle cramping and Zverev made his feelings clear, swearing at officials.

Alcaraz said afterwards he thought he might have hurt his right abductor and it was the physio who decided to have a timeout.

The top seed played on with his movement hampered and he lost his first set of the tournament.

But after swigging some pickle juice, he clawed back from a break down in the fifth set as the crowd roared their approval.

“I rank this one in the top position of one of the best matches that I have ever won,” said Alcaraz, who is into his eighth major final.

“I just hate giving up,” he said.

“When I was younger there were a lot of matches that I just didn’t want to fight anymore or just gave up. Then I just got mature, and I just hate that feeling after all.”

The 22-year-old Alcaraz has won two French Opens, two U.S. Opens and twice at Wimbledon, but success on the blue Melbourne Park hard courts has eluded him in four previous campaigns.

Should he snap the drought he would be the youngest man in the Open era to win all four majors, surpassing compatriot and legend Rafael Nadal, who was 24 when he did so.

His efforts on Friday made him the youngest to reach the men’s singles final at all four Slams.

In other action, wildcards John Peers and Olivia Gadecki became the first team to retain the Australian Open mixed-doubles title since 1988-89.They outlasted French pair Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, 10-8. (JapanToday)

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Sinner says doping scandal made him stronger

Jannik Sinner said Friday a three-month doping ban last year made him stronger as a person and more relaxed on court as he prepares to defend his Australian Open title.

The 24-year-old arrived at Melbourne Park last year under intense pressure, not knowing his fate after a drugs scandal.

He managed to put aside the noise and win the title but his career was put on hold afterwards as he served the three-month suspension for twice testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid in 2024.

Sinner always maintained the product entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing it to treat a cut.

While the World Anti-Doping Agency said Sinner did not intend to cheat, it ordered him to serve the ban as he was responsible for the actions of his entourage.

“Last year was definitely a much more difficult situation because in this moment last year I didn’t know exactly what’s going to happen,” he said. “So I tried still to enjoy it when I went out on the court, but still had it in my head kind of.

“It was difficult for me, but also for the family. I tried to stay with the people I really love, which at times worked very well. At times it was a bit disappointing, too.”

Sinner’s ban expired in May and he bounced back to win Wimbledon and the ATP Finals, ending the year as world number two behind fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz.

He said the experience had made him a better person.

“It is what it is, right? After that, I think everything happens for a reason,” he said. “It got me even stronger as a person. The person I’ve become it’s much more mature in a way because I see things when they’re not going in the right direction different ways.

“Whatever comes on court, result-wise, that’s all an extra,” he added. “I live the sport also in a very different way now, which is relaxed, but I give everything I have. It’s a balance of everything. So yeah, I’m very happy.”

Sinner saw off Alexander Zverev in straight sets to win the title a year ago, having come from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in the 2024 Australian Open final.

Should he win three in a row he would join Novak Djokovic as the only men in the Open era to do so.

The Serbian legend has done the three-peat twice during his 10 titles at Melbourne Park and could meet Sinner in the semifinals this year, if both get that far.

The Italian will get his campaign under way against France’s Hugo Gaston, with master coach Darren Cahill again in his corner.

The pair joined forces in June 2022 and Cahill has overseen Sinner’s elevation to the top of the game. (JapanToday)

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Djokovic withdraws from Paris Masters after quitting exhibition with an injury

Novak Djokovic is withdrawing from next week’s Paris Masters, he announced on social media on Tuesday, just days after he stopped playing in an exhibition event because of a leg injury.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion has competed infrequently this season, appearing in only eight ATP Tour events outside of the four majors.

Djokovic, who is 38, reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open this season. From late May to late September, the only tournaments he entered were those last three Slams.

At his most recent official tournament, the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic was slowed by a sore hip during a semifinal exit.

He was one of the half-dozen men invited to the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia last week. After an opening bye, Djokovic lost to Jannik Sinner, then faced Taylor Fritz to determine the third-place finisher but stopped playing after one set.

The ATP Finals, which Djokovic qualified for but skipped in 2024, are Nov 9-16 in Turin, Italy. (JapanToday)

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Sinner out of Shanghai Masters as Djokovic battles into last 16

Defending champion Jannik Sinner retired on Sunday from the Shanghai Masters after suffering from cramps in his third-round match against the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor, easing the way for Novak Djokovic’s shot at a record-extending fifth title.

The 38-year-old Serb battled through to the last 16 with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, despite admitting that he had been “hanging by a rope” early in the match.

It was a sorry end for Sinner, who had been hoping this week to add to his China Open victory.

The world number two began to experience issues in the fourth game of the third set, trying doggedly to persevere before abandoning the match at 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 3-2.

Sinner ended the fourth game crouched over in pain and limping around the court.

He tried to play through it but did not improve, hitting the ball into the net multiple times to provide an easy break for his opponent.

He could barely walk at the end of the fifth game and had to be helped to his chair before accepting reality and calling it quits.

“(It was) a very unfortunate ending to what I thought was a high-quality match,” Griekspoor said. “Not the way you want to win — brutal conditions here… I wish him a speedy recovery.”

After an evenly matched first set, four-time Grand Slam winner Sinner had shown his teeth in the tiebreak, hitting two aces to take an early lead.

In the second set the tension picked up, with Griekspoor surviving three break points in the second game.

But it was the Dutchman who broke in the 11th game with a backhand, pushing the match into post-midnight territory.

Earlier, 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic was given a mighty scare by the 150th-ranked Hanfmann.

The Serb fired two aces to start, delighting the crowd, but soon ran into trouble as Hanfmann found his range.

The German broke in the third game and held serve after that to clinch the first set.

“I was just outplayed by a better player for a set and a half –- I was hanging by a rope to stay in the match,” Djokovic said.

Neither player was able to take control of a grueling second set, until a series of unforced errors from Hanfmann in the 12th game gave Djokovic the opening he needed.

Sweating in 28C humidity at 9 p.m., the 24-time Grand Slam champion then broke in the fourth game of the third set as his 33-year-old opponent’s precision dropped.

Cheered on by a stadium full of adoring fans, Djokovic held his resolve to take the third set after Hanfmann hit the ball out.

“I had to dig in really, really deep to come out from this match as a winner, and I think the energy and support of the crowd really got me out,” Djokovic said.

American Taylor Fritz was another top-10 casualty of the day, after he fell to 37th-ranked Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 7-5.

On a hot afternoon, the world number four seemed lethargic and struggled to get into his stride, unnerved after Mpetshi Perricard nearly broke twice in the fifth game.

That preempted a streak of brilliance that saw the neon orange-clad Frenchman fire three aces to hold the sixth, then break in the seventh.

A closely fought second set came to a head in the 11th game when a double fault by Fritz handed Mpetshi Perricard the advantage, which he swiftly converted with a backhand.

Finishing the match off with two aces, the big-serving 22-year-old said he could be proud of himself.

“It was tough to be honest, tough conditions, very humid,” he said.

“The game at 5-5 (in the second set), it was terrible. I thought I was dying on the court,” he chuckled.

Mpetshi Perricard will next face 11th-ranked Dane Holger Rune, who beat France’s Ugo Humbert, 6-4, 6-4. (JapanToday)

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Alcaraz uses some behind-the-back magic to reach U.S. Open quarterfinals

Carlos Alcaraz hit a behind-the-back shot at the U.S. Open to win a point in a 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Arthur Rinderknech on Sunday that made the Spaniard the youngest man in the Open era to reach 13 Grand Slam quarterfinals.

“Sometimes, I practice it. I’m not going to lie,” the No. 2-seeded Alcaraz said about the bit of wizardry he delivered in the first set. “But I mean, I don’t practice it, like, too many times. Just in practice, if the opportunity is there, I will try. In the match, it’s kind of the same. If I have the opportunity, why not?”

At 22 years and 3 months old, Alcaraz is about 6 months younger than Boris Becker was when he got to major quarterfinal No. 13.

Alcaraz’s opponent on Tuesday will be No. 20 Jiri Lehecka, a 23-year-old from the Czech Republic. Lehecka advanced to his second Slam quarterfinal with a 7-6 (4), 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win over Adrian Mannarino.

Early on against Rinderknech, a Frenchman who played college tennis at Texas A&M, Alcaraz closed a love hold that made the score 2-all in spectacular fashion. Moving to his right at midcourt, Alcaraz found himself in what appeared to be a bad spot when Rinderknech wrong-footed him.

But Alcaraz wrapped his racket around his body and flicked a shot up the line ( see it here ).

Perhaps startled that the point wasn’t over, Rinderknech hit a volley that landed in the net. A big smile crossed Alcaraz’s face as he looked over at his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, in the stands. Alcaraz then placed his right index finger behind his ear, as if acknowledging the spectators’ cheers.

“The people like it; I like playing tennis like this,” Alcaraz said. “My style of tennis fits pretty well to the energy here.”

Alcaraz wound up taking that set in a tiebreaker. Then, midway through the second, Alcaraz produced another highlight-worthy effort with a no-look passing winner, racing forward to get to a short ball and glancing down the line as though he was going to hit to Rinderknech’s backhand, but instead steering a forehand cross-court.

By the last game, even Rinderknech was smiling at other next-level strokes by Alcaraz, who has won 54 of 55 service games through four matches this year at Flushing Meadows. He claimed the title here in 2022 for the first of his five Grand Slam trophies.

Alcaraz is into his fourth major quarterfinal of 2025, the first time in his career he’s gone 4 for 4 in that category in a season. He lost to Novak Djokovic at that stage at the Australian Open in January, won the French Open in June and lost to No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final at Wimbledon in July.

In women’s action, Taylor Townsend couldn’t covert eight match points in a second set that ended with a 25-minute tiebreaker and was eliminated with a 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3 loss to Barbora Krejcikova.

With fans chanting “Let’s go Taylor! Let’s go Taylor!” for a player who became a fan favorite during the tournament after her confrontation with Jelena Ostapenko following her second-round victory, Townsend was repeatedly a point away from what would have been her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula irolled into the last eight by routing fellow American Ann Li 6-1, 6-2 in just 54 minutes and will face Krejcikova. (JapanToday)

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Djokovic overcomes Norrie to make U.S. Open last 16

Novak Djokovic beat Britain’s Cameron Norrie in four sets on Friday to became the oldest man to reach the U.S. Open last 16 since Jimmy Connors in 1991.

The 38-year-old Djokovic earned a record 192nd Grand Slam match win on hard courts as he defeated Norrie 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-3, staying in the hunt for an unprecedented 25th major title.

“Coming into any match you really want to win in straight sets without any drama but obviously that’s not possible,” said Djokovic. “It’s good that I get tested. I obviously haven’t had any matches since Wimbledon. I’m still trying to find my rhythm and my groove on the court.”

Djokovic has now defeated Norrie in all seven of their meetings and is through to the fourth round in New York for the 16th time in his career.

On Sunday he will play German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff, who has already knocked out two seeds in Holger Rune and Frances Tiafoe.

A lone break of Norrie’s serve in the seventh game was enough for Djokovic to pocket the opening set, but not before he summoned the physio to work on his lower back.

The Serbian star headed off court for a medical timeout and returned to serve out the first set.

“It’s all right, you have some ups and downs. You don’t want to reveal too much to the rivals listening,” said a grinning Djokovic, refusing to elaborate on the nature of his back issue.

He had the chance to make further inroads in the second set but Norrie saved three break points and then pinched the tie-break from his smoldering rival who double-faulted on set point.

Norrie took that momentum into the third set with an early break, drawing an emphatic response from Djokovic as he responded by winning four straight games.

Djokovic soon made the set his and another break to start the fourth set gave him the cushion required to close out a milestone victory.

In women’s action, world number one Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the fourth round after extending her remarkable streak of tie-break victories to defeat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.

Reigning champion Sabalenka punched her ticket to the last 16 after seeing off Fernandez 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) in one hour 39 minutes on the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Sabalenka’s decisive second set victory was capped by her 18th consecutive tie-break win.

The victory was also sweet revenge for Sabalenka, who suffered an upset defeat to then teenager Fernandez in the semi-finals of the 2021 U.S. Open.

“I wanted this revenge badly,” Sabalenka said afterwards. “It was a tough lesson for me back then. Since then, we never played again. I just wanted to prove to myself that the lesson was learned and that I developed as a player and I could get this win.”

Sabalenka attributes her dominance of tie-breaks this season to a tougher mental approach.

“I definitely think that mentally I’m pretty strong, and I’m still growing, because I’m learning a lot of lessons, and all of those lessons making me tougher, tougher, and tougher,” she said. (JapanToday)

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Sinner beats Djokovic to set up Alcaraz final

Top seed Jannik Sinner teed up the French Open final against Carlos Alcaraz that many expected after edging past Novak Djokovic in a tense last-four contest.

Italy’s Sinner won 6-4 7-5 7-6 (7-3) to end Djokovic’s hopes of winning a standalone record 25th Grand Slam title.

Djokovic, 38, looked emotional as he put his racquet bags down on Court Philippe Chatrier and waved farewell to an adoring crowd.

Defending champion Alcaraz moved into his second successive Roland Garros final after eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti retired injured in the fourth set of their semi-final earlier on Friday.

Sinner, playing only his second tournament back after a three-month ban for failing two doping tests, meets the Spanish second seed on Sunday.

The pair were the clear favourites before the clay-court Grand Slam tournament and will now write another chapter in their developing rivalry.

Alcaraz led 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 2-0 when Italy’s Musetti, aiming to reach his first major final, was forced to end the match early.

“It’s never fair. I want to win but not like this,” said Alcaraz.

Age is clearly catching up with Djokovic – but the nature of this defeat showed just how much he still offers at the top of the game.

The Serb was aiming to become the oldest Grand Slam men’s singles champion by lifting the trophy on Sunday for a fourth time.

Djokovic’s quality and fight enabled him to stay within touching distance of the 23-year-old Sinner, who has taken the reins as the world number one.

Yet it still never truly felt like he would be able to snap his three-match losing streak against the nerveless Italian.

Djokovic tried a variety of tactics – baseline duels, drop-shots, serve and volley – but Sinner was virtually impossible to break down.

The constant pressure forced Djokovic into loose groundstrokes and badly-executed drop-shots in an opening set which swung Sinner’s way when he broke serve in the fifth game.

Djokovic’s level improved in the early part of the second set, with two holds to love followed by scrutiny on Sinner’s serve, but he could not find a way through.

An animated Djokovic roared at the crowd after saving a break point in the fifth game and looked up to the heavens in frustration when another poor return handed over the break in his next service game.

You can never completely count Djokovic out, though. He managed to break back for 5-5 before losing serve again as Sinner sealed a two-set lead at the second opportunity.

Djokovic needed treatment for an issue with his upper left leg before the third set, but Sinner is rarely fazed by any disruptions and soaked up most of what Djokovic threw at him.

That included saving three set points in a tense game at 5-4, where further drama was added by a disbelieving Djokovic arguing over a line call going against him at deuce.

Sinner quickly took control of the tie-break, helped by Djokovic smashing into the net for 3-0, to set up the tantalising meeting with Alcaraz – their first contest in a Grand Slam final. (BBC)