MELBOURNE, Australia — There were plenty of reasons to suggest Jannik Sinner could spoil Novak Djokovic‘s quest for a record-breaking 25th major title when the pair met Friday in the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Sinner had been the most in-form player of the tournament, winning 15 consecutive sets in the lead-up to the match. His dominance in the early rounds meant he was also the fresher of the two, with Djokovic having spent close to four additional hours on court through his first five matches. And then there was recent history; Sinner was the only player on tour to have beaten Djokovic twice in the last 18 months.
With that said, there was nothing — absolutely nothing — that remotely hinted Sinner could hand Djokovic one of his most shocking Grand Slam losses. Here are three takeaways from Sinner’s 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (6), 6-3 semifinal win over Djokovic.
Djokovic beat himself, in a way we’ve never seen
The version of Djokovic that stepped onto Rod Laver Arena for this semifinal was something never before seen at Melbourne Park, the venue where he has almost exclusively played the best tennis of his illustrious career.
The warning signs were there from the opening game of the match. Djokovic hit two balls long and another one wide to gift Sinner a comfortable hold of serve. Was it a loosener? Not exactly, rather a concerning theme that lasted throughout the contest.
Djokovic made a total of 15 unforced errors in the first set and another 14 in the second; his ability to find his range during rallies completely abandoning him. In the blink of an eye, Sinner had a two-sets-to-love lead and had relinquished just three games.
The 10-time Australian Open champion was able to avoid a straight sets defeat by taking the third in a tiebreak, but at no point did it feel as if momentum was shifting. Sinner forced another break of serve in the third game of the fourth set and didn’t look back, as Djokovic’s errors and frustrations continued to mount.
By the end of the match, Djokovic had struck 54 unforced…
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