Jannik
Sinner will face
Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the 2024
Australian Open
and has expressed his readiness to take on the 10-times AO champion. The
Italian secured a convincing victory against Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals
with a score of 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-2, marking his third Grand Slam semifinal
appearance.
Ranked as
World No. 4, Sinner entered the tournament as one of the favorites following an
impressive 2023 season, and he has demonstrated his determination to compete
for glory. However, his upcoming challenge will be against arguably the
greatest player in the history of the Australian Open, the current World No. 1,
Novak Djokovic.
So far,
Sinner has not dropped a set in the tournament, and he will face Djokovic, who
has progressively found his form and looks ready to defend his crown. Djokovic
has not suffered a defeat in Melbourne since 2018, boasting a remarkable streak
of 33 consecutive victories.
Sinner
views the semifinal clash with Djokovic as an advantageous opportunity,
considering it is better than facing him in the final: "I'm really lucky
to be facing the world number one in the semi-finals," remarked Sinner.
"It's
going to be tough, but the only thing I can control is that I'll fight 100% for
every ball and see what happens."
Reflecting
on his quarterfinal encounter with Rublev, Sinner acknowledged that despite the
comfortable result, it was a challenging match: "It was really tight, but
these are the moments I love to play," Sinner said.
"This
is what I practice for, and I'm really excited when we always have these
pressure points. I'm just really trying to stay aggressive, and it went my way
today."
The
head-to-head record between Sinner and Djokovic currently stands at 4-2, with
two meetings in Grand Slam tournaments, both at Wimbledon, resulting in
victories for Djokovic in 2022 quarterfinals and 2023 semifinals. Nevertheless,
Sinner won their most recent encounter in the Davis Cup, where Italy secured
their first title in almost 50 years, led by Sinner.