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Novak Djokovic On Friday, he appeared to hit back at his critics and sent a subtle message at the end of his speech australian open win over Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic twice came down from a set to beat Sinner It took just over four hours to eliminate the 2024 and 2025 champions in a thrilling five-set match in Melbourne. that’s all, Djokovic reaches Sunday’s final, Carlos Alcaraz awaits.
At just 22 years old, world number one Alcaraz will seek to become the youngest male player to win a career Grand Slam, while Djokovic is also chasing history.
The 38-year-old Serbian is targeting a 25th Grand Slam title, which would make him the most successful player in the history of men’s and women’s tennis tennis. A victory over Alcaraz would also extend Djokovic’s record for most Australian Open singles titles, which currently stands at 10.
Djokovic wrote on camera footage at Rod Laver Arena after his victory over 24-year-old Sinner – a go-to move for most players at most tournaments. However, while most players were signing autographs, Djokovic took the opportunity to send a message.
“Nesto ste rekli?” he wrote in Serbian, which translates to: “Did you say something?”
The message was interpreted as a response to Djokovic’s critics, who he later addressed in his post-match press conference.
“You know, I never stop believing in myself,” Djokovic said. “There’s a lot of people doubting me. I see a lot of experts suddenly wanting to retire me – or have retired me multiple times over the past few years.
“I want to thank all of them because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong and I did that tonight. To be honest, for me, it’s not surprising. I know what I’m capable of.
“So, there have been many, many times in my career, in the Grand Slams, where you’re not feeling your best. You’re trying to find a way to win with everything you possibly have, even if the quality of tennis isn’t even where you want it to be. So that’s what it is, you know?”
Djokovic specifically mentioned the fact that he improved his game significantly on Friday, Survived quarter-final match against Lorenzo Musetti.
Djokovic trailed Musetti by two sets on Wednesday before the Italian retired with an injury and Djokovic broke in the third set.
“I was lucky again, obviously Lorenzo got injured in that match and retired,” Djokovic said on Friday. “Two days later the opponent was obviously different. I knew exactly what was expected of me on the field and I came up with the right, very clear strategy and game plan and what needed to be executed.
“Obviously it’s easier said than done. You know, one thing is visualizing how you want to play and the other thing is delivering it and executing it on the court against Sinner, [who] We all know that is playing at an extremely high level. I mean, I’m glad I got to experience something like this tonight. “
Djokovic lost 0-2 to Alcaraz in the Grand Slam final, having previously been defeated by the Spaniard at Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024. However, Djokovic defeated Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of last year’s Australian Open, and the Serb has never lost in a tournament final.
Djokovic won in the semifinals on Friday, joining Alcaraz in the lead for the world number one. Lost two-set lead but beat Alex Zverev in five ——Five and a half hours left.