Ageless Djokovic beats Sinner in five-set thriller to reach Australian Open final

Good morning and welcome to live coverage of the semi-finals at the Australian Open, with defending champion Jannik Sinner looking to progress into a sixth successive grand slam tournament final as he takes on 10-time champion Novak Djokovic.

Sinner has dropped just one set en route to the last four in Melbourne, but it’s not been completely straightforward for the Italian. The world No 2 was barely able to walk during his third-round match against Eliot Spizzirri as he suffered with cramp and looked to be on his way out before the tournament’s heat rule was invoked, coming to his rescue.

But since then, the 24-year-old has swatted aside compatriot Luciano Darderi and world No 7 Ben Shelton to reach yet another semi-final, finding himself on the brink of a fourth straight grand slam showdown with Carlos Alcaraz, who overcame cramp himself to beat Alexander Zverev in five sets in the longest-ever Australian Open semi-final this morning, having blown a two-set lead.

While he comes into this morning’s clash as the heavy favourite, Sinner faces a well-rested Djokovic, who was given a fourth-round walkover before Lorenzo Musetti was forced to retire while two sets up in their quarter-final clash because of injury.

Though this may leave Djokovic feeling fresh, there is not the sense of momentum usually felt at this stage of a grand slam, with the Serbian having not actually won a set since his third-round tie on Saturday. The world No 4 was also suffering from foot blisters during the earlier stages of the tournament.

However, with Djokovic still pursuing a 25th grand slam title, which will move him clear of Margaret Court’s singles record, the rest the 38-year-old has been afforded means he may not get a better opportunity to reach that milestone than he does here in Melbourne.

Djokovic reached the semi-finals of all four grand slam tournaments last season but fell at that stage on each occasion, and, unsurprisingly, at the hands of either Sinner or Alcaraz in the most recent three. Can he end his long wait to overcome the dominant duo?