"We all know Novak Djokovic's ability to bounce back; the lack of reaction surprised us" - Justine Henin dissects Serb's Australian Open SF loss
Former WTA No. 1 Justine Henin is 'surprised' at the lack of reaction from Novak Djokovic during his four-set Australian Open semifinal defeat to Jannik Sinner on Friday (January 26).
Making his worst start to a Grand Slam match since trailing Rafael Nadal 6-0, 6-2 in the 2020 Roland Garros final, the 10-time champion found himself 6-1, 6-2 down on Rod Laver Arena against an inspired Sinner.
Djokovic, 36, provided sterner resistance in the third set, holding serve six times to force a tiebreak. There, he recovered from squandering a 4-2 lead by saving a match point on serve at 6-5 to reduce arrears.
However, the 24-time Grand Slam champion remained vulnerable on serve. Sinner duly made his move midway through the fourth set to serve out victory. It marked the first time in a completed match at a Major that Djokovic (366-49) didn't see a break point.
Analyzing the Serb's performance, Henin said on Eurosport that Djokovic's inability to respond to Sinner's blitzkrieg was an unfamiliar sight:
"We all know his ability to bounce back all the time. In fact, he did so on several occasions during the tournament. Today, it was the lack of reaction that surprised us.
Commending the Italian's high level of play, the former player noted that Djokovic played one of his worst Grand Slam matches, which the Serb himself acknowledged.
"Sinner's level was very, very good, and we could have expected that," added Henin. "But the number of unforced errors, Novak Djokovic's slowness, his inability to react ... that was rather unpredictable.
"Djokovic was lucid enough to say so. But that doesn't take anything away from the fact that you can admire your opponent and say: 'This is one of my worst Grand Slam matches'. Because I think it's true."
The loss marked Djokovic's first in 21 matches at the Australian Open after the quarterfinal. Nevertheless, he's assured to remain at World No. 1 on Monday (January 29).
Novak Djokovic's conqueror, Jannik Sinner, to duel Daniil Medvedev for Australian Open title
Jannik Sinner is widely regarded as a generational talent. He did his burgeoning reputation no harm by recovering from squandering a match point to down 10-time champion Novak Djokovic in an Australian Open upset.
Building on from a career-best year in 2023, where he made his first Grand Slam semifinal and maiden ATP Finals final, Sinner remains perfect in six matches in 2024. Having dropped just one set in six matches this week, he takes on Daniil Medvedev in his first Grand Slam final on Sunday (January 28).
Medvedev recovered from two sets down to beat the in-form Alexander Zverev in the other semifinal. Although Sinner trails Medvedev 6-3 in head-to-head matchups, he won his last three games against the Russian in 2023.
The 22-year-old is looking to become the first Italian man (since Adriano Panatta) in nearly five decades to win a Grand Slam singles title.