Djokovic eyes semi-final nemesis Sinner at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Jan 29 : Novak Djokovic will look to ride his good fortune into an 11th Australian Open final but the 10-times champion needs to hit the ground running in a generational semi-final clash with holder Jannik Sinner.

Needing one more major crown to move past Margaret Court and claim the outright record of 25 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic comes into the Sinner showdown as fresh as he could hope to be following walkovers in his previous two matches.

However, the Serb also brings major question marks over his form, having been well beaten in two sets by Lorenzo Musetti before the Italian retired hurt early in the third.

Fourth seed Djokovic, quite simply, was not himself in an error-strewn quarter-final against Musetti, conceding that he had been on his way home until the fifth seed broke down.

Even with the lighter load, the 38-year-old Serb can ill-afford to grant Sinner a head start.

The Italian has won their last five matches and been Djokovic's semi-final nemesis at the Grand Slams.

Sinner, 24, did not concede a set to Djokovic in the French Open and Wimbledon semis last year, having beaten him in four at Melbourne Park two years ago on the way to his first Grand Slam title.

While the odds are stacked against Djokovic, the Serbian great remains defiant that he is still a contender in the era of the new "big two", Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

"Are they better right now than me and all the other guys? Yes, they are," he said.

"The quality and the level is amazing. It's great. It's phenomenal.

"But does that mean that I walk out with a white flag? No. I'm going to fight until the last shot, until the last point, and do my very best to challenge them."

Sinner's 2024 semi-final win over Djokovic at Melbourne Park proved a