Novak Djokovic began his 10th Australian Open semi-final slightly on edge. He made unforced errors that he would never normally make, he unloaded words of frustration at his team in his player box and he struggled with his usually untouchable backhand. After moving 5-1 up in the first set, his lead inexplicably crumbled.
As soon as he faced pressure, though, Djokovic was ready. After edging out the first set, he opened up his shoulders and eased to victory, outclassing the unseeded American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 to return to the Australian Open final for the 10th time in his career.
He will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final after the world No 4 and the third seed, held off a late surge from Karen Khachanov, recovering to reach his first final here and second grand-slam final overall with a 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 win.
Every win for Djokovic unlocks more astounding achievements. He has now reached 33 grand-slam finals, extending his open era record. At 35, the Serbian is also the fourth oldest man in the open era to reach the Australian Open final. With 27 consecutive wins in Melbourne dating back to 2019, he now boasts the biggest winning streak in the history of the tournament.
Paul stepped out onto Rod Laver Arena on Friday night in an unenviable position. Not only did the 25 year old have to handle the nerves of his first grand slam semi-final, but he also had to figure out how to play against the great Novak Djokovic in their first ever meeting. Paul is a solid all-around player with few weaknesses, a great athlete who is confident off both wings and a desire to finish points at the net.
Despite Djokovic’s edgy first set, Paul was understandably even more nervous. He struck four unforced errors in his opening service game and quickly fell down a break that quickly became two. But at 5-1 deuce, Djokovic argued with the umpire, Damien Dumusois, over the 25-second shot clock and he briefly seemed to lose concentration. As Paul moved inside the baseline, Djokovic hemorrhaged errors and lost four consecutive games.
Under considerable pressure, Djokovic instantly shored up his game. He held serve and then returned brilliantly, sealing the set with a game that included an outlandish defensive lob off a searing forehand from Paul that would have ended the point against almost anyone else. As he sat down, Djokovic pumped his fist up and down at the crowd.
With the first set secured, Djokovic relaxed and gradually returned to his stratospheric second-week level. There were plenty of tight games, and Paul gave a decent showing, winning a number of high octane extended rallies and showing off his excellent athleticism. But his efforts won him three games in the final two sets. As soon as Djokovic established his momentum, he could not be stopped.
This has already been some run and Djokovic’s second-round struggles against Enzo Couacaud, the only player to push him to four sets, seem like an eternity ago. Since then he has been utterly ruthless, making it clear to all opponents how far away they are from him.
After his previous round, Djokovic noted that his recent issues have sharpened his already furious determination. “You could say that there is something extra this year, yeah,” he said. “You could say because the injury, what happened last year, I just wanted to really do well.”
This has been all too clear. On Sunday, Djokovic will face real opposition as he stares down a resurgent Tsitsipas. He looks perfectly ready for the final challenge.
