Jannik Sinner is playing the most flawless tennis at the Australian Open 2024. The fourth seed has stormed into the semifinals after beating fifth seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets to set up a clash with defending champion Novak Djokovic. The Italian is yet to lose a set in the tournament after thrashing Rublev 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3, in 2 hours and 39 minutes.
This will be Sinner’s 7th meeting with Djokovic and just his second-ever semifinal appearance at a Grand Slam. Despite going against a 10-time champion, Jannik Sinner will be full of confidence after winning two of the last three meetings against him.
Jannik Sinner has been touted as the next big thing ever since he made the quarterfinal at the Roland Garros (French Open) in 2020. His straight-set loss to Rafael Nadal had impressed everyone, but the Italian couldn’t find the same level of success until the start of 2022.
It was not until 2023 that Sinner made his first Grand Slam semifinal. By then, a much younger Carlos Alcaraz had already leapfrogged him. As of now, Alcaraz has two slams, while Sinner is still searching to make his first-ever Grand Slam final.
Has Jannik Sinner’s time come? The 22-year-old has matured since Darren Cahill joined him in 2022, and this could be his arrival on the big stage if he can overcome the Novak Djokovic challenge on Friday, January 26 at the Rod Laver Arena.