ATP Tour
Djokovic: ‘I want to thank all the doubters’
Serbian snaps five-game losing streak against Sinner to set up Australian Open final against Alcaraz
January 30, 2026
WILLIAM WEST / AFP via Getty Images
Novak Djokovic celebrates reaching his 38th major final on Friday.
By ATP staff
Novak Djokovic discount at your own risk.
While Jannik Sinner looked set to secure a fourth straight Grand Slam final against Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open, the aging Serbian has come back for years to get a chance to play for a 25th Grand Slam title.
“I never stopped believing in myself,” said the 10-year Australian Open champion, who will play Carlos Alcaraz in the final on Sunday at Melbourne Park. “There are many people who doubt me, many experts wanted to retire me or take me many times in the last few years.
“I want to thank all of them, because they gave me strength. They gave me the motivation to show that they are not wrong, which I have tonight. For me, it’s not a surprise, to be honest.”
Djokovic came from two sets to one down to snap a five-match losing streak against two-time defending champion Sinner, winning 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a four-hour, nine-minute match that ended at 1:30 am.
Djokovic, who said he would not practice on Saturday, used his luck to reach the semi-finals. In the fourth round he received a walkover from his last Miami Open winner Jakub Mensik; in the quarter-finals he trailed Lorenzo Musetti in two sets before the Italian retired due to a right leg injury.
But against Sinner, an opponent 14 years his junior, Djokovic’s tenacity, conviction and courage sealed his deserved victory, where he saved 16 of 18 break points, including all eight in the final set.
“I consider it the best [win] a few years ago,” said Djokovic. “Definitely, one of the best matches of the last decade…
“I was lucky that obviously Lorenzo was injured and withdrew from that game. Two days later, the opponents are obviously different. I knew exactly what to expect and I had great clarity and strategy and the game plan and what to do.
“One thing is to think about how you want to play, another thing is to take it and take it out on the court against Sinner, who we all know plays at a very high level.
“I’m very happy that I was able to deal with something like this tonight.”
The victory was Djokovic’s first five-set match since Roland Garros in 2024, where he survived against Francisco Cerundolo.
Djokovic has not lifted a major trophy since the US Open in 2023, watching Alcaraz and Sinner split the eight majors in the past two years.
On Sunday, as Djokovic tries to become the oldest Australian Open champion, the 22-year-old Alcaraz is looking to become the youngest male player to complete his career Grand Slam.
Djokovic leads Alcaraz 5-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, winning three of the four hard-court meetings. But while Alcaraz claimed his lone victory on the hard court in the semi-finals of the 2025 US Open, Djokovic expressed doubts about his ability to defeat the Spaniard and Sinner in five sets at the majors. Now he will get a chance to prove himself wrong in back-to-back games in what could be one of the highlights of his unparalleled career.
“History is on both of our shoulders every time we play,” said Djokovic, who has completed a record 424 weeks at No. [in the quarter-finals]and in a difficult game. Let’s see. Let’s see how we can both be fresh.
“He also had a great game, but he’s 15, 16 years old to me. You know, blood wise I think it’s going to be easy for him to recover.
“I’m just trying to enjoy the time I get tonight. I’ll think about the final later, but for me this is almost as good as winning a Grand Slam.”
