Never before had Novak Djokovic been such an underdog in such a significant match. His mere presence in the Australian Open semi-finals, after all, had been the result of a significant slice of good fortune. As he faced off against one of the dominant players in his sport, for many a competitive match would be close enough to a win.
This special champion has achieved so much for so long, but in the early hours of Saturday morning the 38-year-old pulled off one of the greatest upsets of his legendary career, recovering from a two sets to one deficit to topple the two-time defending champion and second seed Jannik Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to improbably return to the Australian Open final.
No tennis player in the history of this sport has come even close to achieving the longevity that Djokovic commands. As he chases his record-extending 25th grand slam title, he has become the oldest man in the open era to reach the Australian Open final. Djokovic has now reached his 11th Australian Open final and 38th grand slam final overall, extending his all-time records in both categories.
Djokovic’s victory rounded off one of the great Australian Open semi-final days in history as, after so many uneventful, routine days, the tournament finally came alive wi
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