“I would never bet against him”: Boris Becker still sees a path for Djokovic against Sinner in Melbourne

Boris Becker referred to Novak Djokovic’s chances in his Australian Open semifinal clash against two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner. The German gave Djokovic – his former protégé – a chance, although he acknowledged how difficult it is for him to defeat the Italian world No. 2 in Melbourne.

Nole and Sinner have already faced each other on 10 occasions, with a 6–4 record in favour of the 24-year-old Italian – including the last five encounters, all of which ended in victories for Sinner. In 2025, they met in three Grand Slam semifinals, all wins for Sinner, who has captured 11 of the last 12 sets played between them.

“I would never bet against him, but playing Sinner is the toughest thing to do in Australia,” commented Boris Becker in a recent interview with TNT Sports. “He has won two times in a row and Djokovic lost to him two years ago in the semis. But Novak has won the tournament 10 times; if there is one man that knows how to win the Australian Open it’s him.”

The six-time Grand Slam champion coached Nole for several years, accompanying him during six of his Grand Slam titles, including the Australian Open in 2013 and 2016. “The only reason Djokovic plays tennis is to win Grand Slams, to get to that 25 and get to that 11 in Australia. He has done everything else in tennis. He will push himself as much as he can.”

According to Becker, a long match could even benefit the Serbian, considering the physical issues Sinner showed in the third round. “Let it all out,” urged Becker. “If you hope that Sinner will give it to you, then you are mistaken. You have to be the first one that goes for the corners, you have to decide the tempo of the match and control the centre of the court and get your free points on the first serve.”

“Take a bit of a chance on Sinner’s second serve, and also Sinner struggled physically a few days ago, so once you get to the three-hour mark, I don’t think it’s a disadvantage for Djokovic, even though he is much older,” Becker stated. “The longer he can stay in the match, the higher the chance he can win.”

Djokovic’s road to the semifinals has been marked by the injuries of his opponents. After getting through the first three rounds in straight sets, the 24-time Grand Slam champion did not have to step onto the court in the Round of 16, following the withdrawal of his opponent Jakub Mensik due to injury, which handed Djokovic a walkover into the quarterfinals.

Luck was then again on Nole’s side in the clash against world No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti. After going two sets down, the Italian retired due to injury, allowing Djokovic to advance to the semifinals – despite the fact that he has not won a set since the third round.

For Becker, it is not the ideal situation for Djokovic to arrive with so little time on court, as he needs competitive matches to reach his best level. “You don’t get match fit in practice even if you are Novak Djokovic,” Becker added. “You can see that with the blisters on his foot, you get blisters by not having enough calluses on your feet, and you get calluses by playing a lot of matches.”

“He has to play better tennis and it starts with the foot. The physio and the doctors have to do the best job of putting on enough protection so he can run, and then he has to let it all out,” Boris Becker added about the Serbian. “If he holds back and is too defensive and tentative, then Sinner will crush him. If he goes in thinking of the best Djokovic that has played in Melbourne, then he has a chance.”

Djokovic and Sinner will face each other this Friday, January 30, in search of a place in the final. The winner will meet the victor of the clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev. Both Sinner and Alcaraz are aiming to contest a Grand Slam final for the fourth consecutive time, while for Djokovic the objective will be to return to his first major final since Wimbledon 2024 – and to finally overcome the semifinal barrier, a stage where he repeatedly fell in 2025, reaching the semifinals in all four Grand Slam tournaments contested last season.