Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts after defeating Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands in their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The most successful player ever in men’s tennis felt disrespected, and had to pause before summarizing the offending question out loud just to process it again.
Novak Djokovic, winner of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including 10 at the Australian Open, was fielding questions about his pending semifinal with defending champion Jannik Sinner when he returned serve on one that he didn’t like.
In a nutshell, he was asked to compare eras from when he broke onto the scene while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were at the top of tennis to now, when Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have blocked him from winning a major for the last two seasons.
“I’m chasing Jannik and Carlos? he responded. “In which sense?”
In terms of trying to break the “Sincaraz” streak of eight titles.
“So I’m always the chaser, and I’m never being chased?” he asked. “I find it a little bit disrespectful that you kind of miss out on what happened in between where the times when I started chasing, as you say, Rafa and Roger, and now that I’m chasing Carlos and Jannik, and there’s probably about a 15-year period in between where I was dominating the Grand Slams.
“It’s important to put that in perspective. I don’t feel like I’m chasing, to be honest. I’m creating my own history.”
The top four seeds reached the final four in the Australian Open men’s draw, with No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Alexander Zverev set to meet in Friday’s other semifinal. The winners will advance to the championship decider on Sunday.
Sinner vs. Djokovic, 2 vs. 4
Make no mistake, the 38-year-old Djokovic is in Melbourne with one objective: to win a 25th Grand Slam singles title. That would cement him as the most decorated tennis player of all time. He reached the semis at all four majors last year, but didn’t contest a final.
He concedes he’s “lucky this time” to still be in the running, after trailing fifth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-3 in Wednesday’s quarterfinal before the 23-year-old Italian retired in the third set with an injured right leg.
And that followed a walkover in the fourth round. In pure statistics, he hasn’t won a set since the third round.
But Sinner is also counting his luck. He was on the verge of a third-round exit when he was cramping and stumbling while down a break against No. 85-ranked Eliot Spizzirri in the third set. He only got a reprieve when the Extreme Heat Policy was activated, and an eight-minute delay to close the roof completely swung momentum.
Sinner is on a 19-match winning streak at Melbourne Park after his comprehensive 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal win over eighth-seeded Ben Shelton.
The 24-year-old Italian has a 6-4 lead in head-to-heads with Djokovic, including wins in the last five. The sequence includes semifinals at the 2024 Australian Open and at Roland Garros and Wimbledon last year.
It was the semifinal win over Djokovic here two years ago that propelled him toward the first of his four Grand Slam titles.
“It improves you as a player and a person,” Sinner said of his matches against Djokovic. “We’re still lucky to have Novak here playing incredible tennis at his age.
“I’m lucky to have someone like him in front of my eyes and I can hopefully learn something. I feel like every day, every time he plays, I can learn something about him.”
Alcaraz vs. Zverev, 1 vs. 3
The 22-year-old Alcaraz is bidding to become the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam — which is winning all four major titles. The 28-year-old Zverev, seeded third, is bidding for his first major trophy. He’s been runner-up three times, including last year in Australia when his trip was overshadowed by German court proceedings.
Alcaraz said Zverev edged him in a recent practice match with a “high level of tennis, high level of intensity.”
“It was impressive the level he’s been playing so far, so it’s going to be a great battle,” Alcaraz said. “I’m excited about playing him here in AO in a semifinal. I know what I have to do. I will be well-prepared and if he wants to beat me, he has to sweat a lot!”
They’re 6-6 in career head-to-heads, including two wins apiece at the Slams. In 2024, Alcaraz beat Zverev in the French Open final, after Zverev defeated Alcaraz in the quarterfinals in Australia.
“In my case, I’m still chasing that desired Slam,” Zverev said. “Of course, I still want to achieve that, but I also want to enjoy my tennis. Right now I’m doing that.” ___
More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
By JOHN PYE
AP Sports Writer