By JOHN PYE
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — In a moment of exhaustion and euphoria, Novak Djokovic recognized Margaret Court in the crowd and thanked her for staying up so late to watch him come within a single victory of becoming the most decorated tennis player of all time.
Court, 83, was among the VIP attendees at Rod Laver Arena for Djokovic’s epic five-set victory over two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in a grueling semifinal that ended after 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
For now, they share the all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. That could change on Sunday.
Djokovic’s grueling victory over Sinner set up a championship showdown against world number one Carlos Alcaraz, the 22-year-old Spaniard seeking to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.
Alcaraz and Sinner have combined to block Djokovic’s progress toward his 25th major title, splitting the last eight majors evenly between them.
In his on-court interview to close Day 13, Djokovic thanked Court for sticking around to watch him end a five-match losing streak to Sinner, and also snap a string of four semifinal losses at Grand Slam tournaments.
“Some legends stayed up until two in the morning!” said. “Thank you very much for being here.”
Djokovic holds almost every record available to him, surpassing the marks set by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. She has one more than Serena Williams, who holds the women’s Open era record with 23.
He has made no secret of the fact that he is only in Australia for the coveted 25th.
Some analysts debate the greatness of Court’s title tally because he won 13 of his 24 major singles titles before the professional Open era began in 1968.
Not Djokovic. For him, the numbers speak for themselves.
After defeating one half of the “Sincaraz” rivalry, Djokovic has the opportunity to face the other in the 11th final of his career at Melbourne Park. He has won the previous ten.
Djokovic, 38, said he was sore and tired and would probably not practice much on Saturday, prioritizing recovery.
Alcaraz also said he will focus on recovery after battling cramps and a sore right leg in a five-set, five-hour, 27-minute victory over Alexander Zverev. It was the longest semi-final in Australian Open history.
It wasn’t the longest match in Melbourne Park history; It’s no surprise that Djokovic holds that record with his 5:53 victory over Rafael Nadal in the 2012 final.
Djokovic crossed paths with Alcaraz between the five-set semi-finals and congratulated him for moving forward. Alcaraz was on an exercise bike cooling down and Djokovic was still preparing for his delayed start of the night.
25 the goal for ’26
When he was setting goals for this season, Djokovic said he asked himself, “Okay, what am I looking for from myself?”
“I really imagined myself playing against Jannik and Carlos in the final stages of the Grand Slams and fighting for it,” he said. “Very lucky to already achieve it in the first Slam of the year.”
Djokovic admitted he was lucky to reach the semi-finals, after receiving a walkover in the fourth round before Lorenzo Musetti retired during their quarter-final match after winning the first two sets.
Against Sinner, there were times when Djokovic looked exhausted and almost out of energy, but his stamina was phenomenal. Sinner failed to convert eight break point opportunities in the fifth set — he was only two of 18 in the match — and Djokovic converted the first break point opportunity he had in the deciding set.
Alcaraz was also shaky in the third set, taking a medical timeout for what he thought was an injured adductor in his right leg. It turned out to be more likely cramps. It will be his first final in Australia.
“I just have to do what it takes to be at my best for the final,” Alcaraz said.
Djokovic has not won a major since the 2023 US Open but, while others may have written off his chances, he never doubted he could reach that level.
“There are a lot of people who doubted me… a lot of experts suddenly wanted to retire me,” he said. “I want to thank you all because you gave me strength. You gave me motivation to prove them wrong.”
one for history
Djokovic aims to become the oldest man in the Open era to win a major title. Alcaraz aims to be the youngest to win titles in all four Grand Slams.
“There is always for me, also for Carlos — because of his age and everything he has achieved — history is at stake,” Djokovic said.
difficult choice
Nadal, who will be in the final, was asked on Saturday who he would prefer as champion.
“I feel like I have to support Carlos,” Nadal said of his fellow Spaniard. But “If Novak wins, I will be happy for him. What he is doing at this stage of his career is spectacular.”
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