Novak Đoković i Carlos Alcaraz will play in the final of the 114th edition of the Australian Open, after one of the longest and most dramatic semifinal days in the history of the Grand Slam tournament.
The collision of Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev It was long (five and a half hours) and full of drama, and Djokovic and Janika Siner with sensation and grandeur!
Just as the first semi-final was the longest in AO history, the second produced the oldest finalist in a Grand Slam in history. The timeless Djokovic was 38 years and 241 days old when - well after midnight local time, on January 31, 2026 - he raised his hands to the sky after an unreal victory against his toughest rival in recent memory.
He did it in an impressive way - with a turnaround, in five sets (losing 1:0, then 2:1) against a rival 14 years his junior, one of the two current best in the world, who played an excellent match!
Never write off Novak Djokovic - this has been proven time and time again - a tennis player who will tomorrow fight for his 25th Grand Slam title, and his 11th at Melbourne Park, in yet another classic of the modern tennis era.
In both cases, he will try to push the boundaries and records he set long ago.
- I feel like I've already won the trophy, and I know I have to come back and fight the number one. I just want to have enough gas left to fight, and then - God decides - was Djokovic's first comment after the 3:6, 6:3, 4:6, 6:4, 6:4 victory.
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Novak Djokovic will play in the Grand Slam final. In that category, he has long surpassed Roger Federer, who reached 31 finals in 2019.
"You said something," he then wrote on Eurosport's camera, and after the match ended, he clarified a bit.
Bookmakers valued his victory over Siner at odds of 10 before the match, but when he lost the first and then the third set, the odds went up to 20!
- I have never stopped believing in myself. A lot of people doubt me. I see that suddenly a lot of 'experts' have appeared who wanted to retire me or have already done so several times in recent years - said Djokovic.
A journalist for the Spanish newspaper "Marca" wrote after the match that he deserved to have a monument erected to him - not only at Melbourne Park, but on every field he appeared on!
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Novak Djokovic has lost 21 of his 20 semi-final or final matches at the Australian Open, all played at night at Rod Laver Arena. There are 21 of them, with 22 on the schedule tomorrow! His only two semi-final losses came in the previous two years, both under the Melbourne sun.
- This is no surprise to me. I know what I'm capable of!
He was also recognized by Janik Siner himself, who had beaten him five times in a row before yesterday's duel, three of which were in the semifinals of the Australian Open.
- He didn't surprise me - he's been the greatest player for years.
Djokovic saved 16 out of 18 break points.
- The defeat hurts a lot, this is a very important slam for me. It happens, it was a good match on both sides. I had a lot of chances, I didn't take advantage of them and this is the outcome. I'm going to reset a bit, and try to come back stronger - said Siner.
Alkaras' victory over Zverev is not a surprise, but the way he achieved it is miraculous.
The Spaniard led 2-0 in sets, then suffered cramps and muscle pain and came close to elimination. Zverev came back, tied it at 2-2, broke in the 5th set, led 5-4 and served for the win, but nothing helped.
The miraculous Alkaras found a way out.
- How did I do it? I believed in myself. I knew I would have my chances and I'm proud of how I pulled through - said Alkaras.
What does the grand final bring? After a semi-final day like this, expectations are astronomical! Alcaraz for his first, Djokovic for his 11th triumph at Melbourne Park.
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