The first racket of the world lost to 22-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner. Sinner’s opponent in the final will be determined in the match between Russian Daniil Medvedev and German native Alexander Zverev
The first racket of the world, 36-year-old Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, conceded 22-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner – the fourth racket on the planet – in four games. The tennis players spent three hours and 22 minutes on the court.
Sinner’s opponent in the final will be determined today in the match between Russian Daniil Medvedev and German native Alexander Zverev.
Comments editor-in-chief of Tennis Weekend magazine Mikhail Ivanov:
— Novak Djokovic’s loss to Jannik Sinner is a sensation, but a sensation with a minus sign. In what sense? In the sense that Jannik Sinner had not lost a single set before the match with Djokovic, and Djokovic became the first who managed to take at least one set from Sinner. This shows that Sinner is in crazy shape, and I think that no matter who wins the other semi-final, and the German Alexander Zverev and our Daniil Medvedev meet there, in any case, Sinner will be the favorite in the final because he shows crazy tennis . It should also be recalled that before this, Sinner also beat Djokovic twice, now he has reduced the gap in head-to-head matches with the Serb to 3-4, Novak still has an advantage, but still. Sinner is beginning to live up to the high hopes that were placed on him; in Italy they predicted for him at least the place of the first racket of the world; he is just halfway to success. Djokovic could have lost already in the third set, but he saved a match point, and it seemed to me that he would reverse the outcome of this match, but it didn’t work out.
— In what physical condition does Sinner approach the final after this match?
— Sinner is still a very young player, I don’t think he will have any problems with physics. It won’t be a matter of physical fitness, it will be a matter of whose tennis will be stronger. Daniil Medvedev with his intellectual tennis or Jannik Sinner with his tennis, which I would call unmistakable at the moment. We all expect Daniil to win the match with Zverev, although, naturally, it is not a fact that Medvedev will be there, Zverev may well be there as well.
— This is probably a very big defeat for Djokovic?
— There are no comments yet, but he is upset like any normal athlete. On the other hand, he has three more Grand Slam tournaments in hand this season, he can win Roland Garros, maybe the same Wimbledon, where he performs well, or win the same US Open. Of course, it’s a shame for him, because he has already won ten times in Australia, and in general this is his favorite tournament. And the surface is ideal for him, all the conditions suit him, but he still has everything ahead of him. He has already become, by all accounts, the best tennis player of all time.
Russian Daniil Medvedev and German native Alexander Zverev will meet in the second semi-final of the tournament at 11:30 Moscow time.