Four reasons why Jannik Sinner has become Novak Djokovic’s biggest nightmare
The tennis world will get the showdown it wanted when Novak Djokovic takes on Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-final.
Djokovic fought off a strong challenge from Taylor Fritz to reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the 11th time.
The world No 1 has never lost in Melbourne once he has made it beyond the last eight, and there is no doubt how much he wants a 25th Grand Slam title.
Yet he will know he faces his biggest test next after Jannik Sinner eased into the Australian Open semi-finals for the second time in his career with a 6-4 7-6 (5) 6-3 wi against Andrey Rublev in a match that finished at 1.22am.
Now we are counting down to the latest clash between Djokovic and Sinner, with spice added to this compelling new rivalry after their most recent encounters.
BALANCE OF POWER
Sinner heads into this latest clash with Djokovic knowing he has what it takes to beat the Serbian and that was not the case when he played against the world No 1 in the 2022 or 2023 Wimbledon semi-finals.
The balance of power shifted in this story when Sinner found a way to beat Djokovic for the first time in the group stages of the ATP Finals, but it was his second win against him in the Davis Cup that may have been even more significant.
With Djokovic holding three match points in the semi-final tie in Malaga, he was a point away from firing Serbia into the final. Then, for the first time in many a long year, Djokovic appeared to choke.
He played a series of points that were hard to understand and a few minutes after he was on the brink of defeat, Sinner was holding his arms aloft as a winner.
Djokovic doesn’t have too many mental scars from big defeats, but that is certainly one that will be tested when he faces Sinner in Melbourne.
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SINNER’S IMPROVEMENTS
The only way to trouble Djokovic is to rock him onto his back foot with big serves and ground shots and Sinner is one of a handful of players in the game who can do that.
Trying to get the better of him tactically is an almost impossible task and he has proved that time and again over the last 15 years and more.
What Sinner can do is deliver balls at a pace that pushes Djokovic out of his comfort zone both with the serve and his booming forehand.
On a fast court, that is a recipe the 10-time Australian Open champion does not enjoy and Sinner needs to produce that for three or four hours to have a chance of ending his reign as Australian Open champion.
NOVAK’S WEAKNESS
Djokovic doesn’t appear to have a weakness, but one area Sinner has exposed is his tendency to miss forehands when enough pace is applied to the delivery.
Sinner has gone after Djokovic with wide serves in the deuce court to his forehand and it has proved to be a successful tactic.
He is also willing to come into the net when he has Djokovic on the run and end the point while he is on top.
There is no secret to beating Djokovic other than playing flawless tennis, but Sinner has shown there are some holes in his make-up that he is capable of exposing.
SINNER’S FOREHAND
Both Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner have given Djokovic a problem with their power-packed forehands in recent meetings.
Sinner’s forehand has always been a strength, but he appears to be hitting it flatter and with more power in the last few months.
The confidence he has built up to go for broke with that shot is a primary reason why Djokovic failed to breach his defences in the ATP Finals meeting that went the way of the Italian.
He has yet to prove he can serve up that level of tennis for five sets without making too many mistakes, but that is his task in Melbourne.
