"I learned a lot from that" - Jannik Sinner credits Wimbledon 2023 loss to Novak Djokovic for helping him overcome Serb at Australian Open 2024
Jannik Sinner acknowledged that he learned a lot from the loss to Novak Djokovic in last year's Wimbledon semifinal after getting the better of his opponent 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open on January 26.
The Italian, who reached his maiden Grand Slam final, also became the first player from his country to reach the finals of the men's singles event at the Australian Open.
Sinner revealed that he was looking forward to the semifinal while also asserting that it was nice to play against Djokovic whom he could learn from.
"I was looking forward to this match. It's always nice to have this kind of player where you can learn from. I lost last year in semis in Wimbledon, so I think I learned a lot from that and you know, it's it's all part of the process. I'm really happy to share this here with you guys. And also with my team," he said after the game.
Despite Sinner's dominance in three of the four sets, the 22-year-old stressed that the match was "very very tough" before adding that he felt Djokovic was not feeling great on court.
"Yeah, it was a very very tough match. I started off really well. For two sets, I felt like he was not feeling that great on the court," he stated.
Djokovic saved a match point in the third set but Sinner came back to take the fourth in an unruffled manner. The World No. 4 said he kept pushing his opponent and was ready for the fourth set despite the disappointment of not wrapping up the contest in the third set.
"So I just tried to keep pushing and then in the third set, I had match point and I missed the forehand. But, you know, this is tennis and I just tried to be ready also for the next set, which I started off really well and obviously the atmosphere was so, so great to play here," Jannik Sinner stated in the on-court interview.
Novak Djokovic goes down to Jannik Sinner in Australian Open classic
Novak Djokovic was undone by Jannik Sinner's powerful groundstrokes and potent first serve in the semifinals of the Australian Open.
The ten-time champion meanwhile faltered at crucial moments, committing an array of unforced errors against an inspired opponent.
After cruising through the first couple of sets, Jannik Sinner was made to work hard in the third as Novak Djokovic began to find his footing.
Play was held up as medical personnel attended to a spectator in the stands with the score at 5-5 (40-40) following which the defending champion forced a tie-break.
Djokovic raced to a 2-0 lead in the tie-break but Sinner came back strongly to level the score at 2-2.
With Djokovic leading 4-2, the "Novak Novak" chants were annulled by Sinner who levelled things up at 4-4. Djokovic finally took the tie-break at 8-6 but a much-anticipated dramatic comeback from the World No. 1 did not materialize in the fourth set.
Jannik Sinner will take on the winner of the second semifinal between Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev in Sunday's final.