Novak Djokovic thanks doubters for motivation after reaching Melbourne final
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Novak Djokovic celebrating winning his Australian Open semi-final against Italy's Jannik Sinner on Jan 30.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Novak Djokovic, 38, defied doubters by defeating Jannik Sinner in a five-set Australian Open semi-final, reaching his first Grand Slam final since September 2023.
- Djokovic credited critics for motivating him and stated his strategy was key to overcoming Sinner: "I came out with great clarity about the strategy and game plan".
- Facing Carlos Alcaraz in the final, Djokovic, aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam, expressed recovery concerns due to the late finish, saying, "It's almost 3 am".
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MELBOURNE – Novak Djokovic said he had always believed he could still play at the top level of tennis and rounded on those who had tried to usher him into retirement after beating Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Jan 30.
The 38-year-old rolled back the years with a vintage display to down the double defending champion in a five-set thriller and set up a final against Carlos Alcaraz, giving him the chance to land a first Grand Slam title since September 2023.
“I never stopped believing in myself, you know. There’s a lot of people that doubt me. I see there is a lot of experts all of a sudden that wanted to retire me or have retired me many times the last couple of years,” he told reporters.
“I want to thank them all, because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong, which I have tonight. For me, it’s not a surprise, to be honest.
“I know what I’m capable of. I’ve had many, many times in my career matches during the Grand Slam where it’s just one of those days where you’re not feeling your best.
“You try to find a way to win with everything that you possibly have, even though the quality of tennis is not even close to where you want it to be.
“So that was the case, you know?”
Djokovic, who is bidding to win a record 25th Grand Slam title, conceded he had been fortunate to have two walkovers in the earlier rounds but said there was no luck in his Jan 30 win.
“I came out with great clarity about the strategy and game plan that needed to be executed,” he added.
“Obviously easier said than done. One thing is to imagine how you want to play, and the other thing is to deliver it and execute it on the court against Sinner, who we all know is playing an extremely high level.
“I’m just thrilled to be able to experience something like this tonight.”
With the earlier semi-final between Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz running nearly 5½ hours, Djokovic’s clash with Sinner finished well into the early hours of Jan 31.
That will leave the fourth seed little time to recuperate before the Feb 1 final against 22-year-old Alcaraz.
“It’s almost 3 am. Yeah, let’s see. I cannot make any predictions right now,” he said.
“Definitely not going to train tomorrow. Just going to use every hour I possibly can to recover, and hopefully get out on the finals day feeling somewhat refreshed.” REUTERS
