And Italian Jannik Sinner created history on Friday after he beat World no. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semis of the Australian Open 1-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, in a largely one-sided match. Even before the start of the tournament, if there was one player who was tipped to create trouble for the Serb, was Sinner, who had beaten him twice in 2023 — once in the Davis Cup Finals (semifinal round), and Nitto ATP Finals (Round-robin).
Djokovics’ Loss At a Glance
In his entire career, this was Djokovic’s third loss against Sinner, while winning four overall. The 36-year-old, who has a knack of winning the Australian Open, posted his ninth loss ever in Melbourne. But despite the loss, he has a win % of 90 here, his best among all the other slams. At the French Open, he has a win-loss ratio of 92-16 (85%), and at the Wimbledon, it is 92-11 (89%). As far as the US Open is concerned, he has a record of 88-13 (87%).
This is Djokovic’s first loss before a final, at a Grand Slam, after the 2022 French Open, where he lost to Casper Ruud in the quarters. Meanwhile, the last time he exited a Slam from the semis stage, was in 2019, when he lost to Dominic Thiem.
Djokovic at Australian Open
This is the first time that he has lost at the AO, in the semis. Djokovic, who has 10 titles in Melbourne, last lost a match here in 2018. He lost in the fourth round against Chung Hyeon in straight sets. While in the previous year, Djokovic lost to Denis Istomin in the second round itself.