"They are back home, they will stay home" - Jannik Sinner confirms his parents will not fly to Australian Open to watch him in first Grand Slam final
Jannik Sinner scored one of the biggest wins of his young career yet on Friday, downing defending champion and 10-time title winner Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open.
Sinner startled the Serb with his initial onslaught, taking the first two sets 6-1, 6-2 in the blink of an eye. The third set was more evenly contested, with Djokovic saving a match point in the tiebreaker before snatching it 8-6 in dramatic fashion.
The fourth set, surprisingly, was a routine affair for the World No. 4, who closed it out 6-3 to reach his maiden Grand Slam final. Unfortunately though, as confirmed by Jannik Sinner himself, his parents won't be in attendance during Sunday's summit clash in Rod Laver Arena.
Speaking at his on-court interview, the Italian joked with Jim Courier, stating that his mother and father were back home and that they would stay home for the rest of the week. He also extended a message of thanks to his family members who might have been watching him on TV from Europe.
Finally, the 22-year-old thanked the Italian fans who had packed the stadium to cheer him on against Djokovic. He added hopefully that they would be back on Sunday as well to offer him as much support once again.
"[My parents] are back home and they will stay home.Yeah, it is 8:15 in Europe. So, good morning, guys. But not only to my family, I think for for all the people who are close to me and then also all the Italian fans, it's always really nice to…"
"We try our best because we have also the men's doubles in the final here, with Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. So it's good to have some more Italians. I really appreciate the love and the support not only for home, but also here in the stadium, which is awesome. And hope to see you guys on Sunday," Jannik Sinner said.
"He outplayed me completely today" - Novak Djokovic after Australian Open SF defeat to Jannik Sinner
Speaking at his press conference after the loss, Novak Djokovic lavished praise on Jannik Sinner. The Serb stated that the Italian fully deserved to be in the final of the 2024 Australian Open and that he completely outplayed him on the night.
"I want to congratulate Sinner for playing a great match, great tournament so far. He's deservedly in the finals. He outplayed me completely today," Djokovic said.
In the championship round, Sinner will take on either Alexander Zverev or Daniil Medvedev. Unlike the Italian, both Medvedev and Zverev have previous experience of playing Grand Slam finals.