The most successful player in men’s tennis history bristled at the premise, pausing midanswer to repeat the question aloud as if to make sense of it.
Novak Djokovic, owner of a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including 10 Australian Open crowns, was taking questions about his upcoming semifinal against defending champion Jannik Sinner when one comparison struck a nerve.
The question asked Djokovic to weigh eras, from his early years chasing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to the present, where Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have shut him out of major titles over the past two seasons.
“I’m chasing Jannik and Carlos?” Djokovic replied. “In which sense?”
The reference was to the so-called “Sincaraz” run, an eight-title Grand Slam streak shared by Sinner and Alcaraz.
“So I’m always the chaser, and I’m never being chased?” Djokovic said. “I find it a little bit disrespectful that you kind of miss what happened in between, from the time I started chasing, as you say, Rafa and Roger, to now chasing Carlos and Jannik. There’s probably 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 semifinals in the Australian Open men’s draw, with No. 1 Alcaraz and No. 3 Alexander Zverev set to meet in Friday’s other semifinal. The winners advance to Sunday’s final.
Make no mistake, the 38-year-old Djokovic is in Melbourne with one objective: winning a 25th Grand Slam singles title, which would further extend his record as the most decorated player in the sport’s history. He reached the semifinals at all four majors last year but did not contest a final.
Djokovic conceded he was “lucky this time” to still be in the tournament 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 a right leg injury.
That followed a walkover in the fourth round. Statistically, Djokovic has not won a set since the third round.
Sinner has also benefited from fortune. He was on the brink of a third-round exit while cramping and stumbling down a break in the third set against No. 85-ranked Eliot Spizzirri before the tournament’s Extreme Heat Policy was activated. An eight-minute delay to close the roof swung the momentum.
Sinner is riding a 19-match winning streak at Melbourne Park after a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal win over eighth-seeded Ben Shelton.
The 24-year-old Italian leads Djokovic 6-4 in their career head-to-heads, including victories in their past five meetings. That stretch includes semifinal wins at the 2024 Australian Open and at Roland Garros and Wimbledon last year.
It was Sinner’s semifinal victory over Djokovic in Melbourne 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 facing 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. Every day, every time he plays, I learn something.”
Alcaraz, 22, is bidding to become the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam by winning all four major titles. Zverev, 28, seeded third, is chasing his first major trophy after finishing runner-up three times, including last year in Australia, a run overshadowed by court proceedings in Germany.
Alcaraz said Zverev edged him in a recent practice match with “high-level tennis, high-level 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 at the Australian Open in a semifinal. I know what I have to do. I’ll be well prepared, and if he wants to beat me, he has to sweat a lot.”
They are tied 6-6 in career head-to-head meetings, including two wins apiece at Grand Slam tournaments. In 2024, Alcaraz beat Zverev in the French Open final after Zverev defeated Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
“In my case, I’m still chasing that desired Slam,” Zverev said. “Of course I want to achieve it, but I also want to enjoy my tennis. Right now, I am.”
