Novak Djokovic was nowhere to be found around Melbourne Park after booking his place in the Australian Open final.
Djokovic beat Jannik Sinner for the first time in more than two years, securing his first appearance in a Grand Slam final since Wimbledon 2024.
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The victory also allowed the Serbian to break one of Rafael Nadal’s long-standing records.
That result set up an Australian Open final between Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, but new reports are starting to raise concerns about the 38-year-old.
Tim Henman shares late night details on Novak Djokovic’s post-Sinner routine
Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
Djokovic’s semi-final with Sinner ended after 1:30 a.m. local time after a four-hour, nine-minute battle.
Even after the match ended, Djokovic still needed to calm down and follow his usual post-match routines, including speaking to the media.
Laura Robson, CoCo Vandeweghe and Tim Henman of TNT Sports said none of the finalists were seen on site the day after their marathon matches. Both players were likely focused on resting up for Sunday’s deciding match.
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According to Henman, he spoke to someone in Djokovic’s camp who told him that the Serb didn’t fall asleep until 6 a.m.
Robson: “I don’t think any of them showed up today. »
Vandeweghe: “No, I didn’t. I don’t think they need it.”
Henman: “I talked to Charlie (Djokovic’s hitting partner Carlos Gómez-Herrera) about his team and he told me they came home and once they had everything done they were in bed at 6 a.m.
“I don’t necessarily think they need to hit tennis balls. They’ve hit enough. It’s a matter of rest and recovery and obviously it’s a later start, so they have plenty of time.”
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz’s court time comparison ahead of Australian Open final
Even though he finished his semifinal well after midnight, Djokovic could still have an advantage over Alcaraz heading into the final.
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Before facing Sinner, Djokovic had spent little time on the court. Lorenzo Musetti withdrew from their match due to injury and Jakub Mensik withdrew before his scheduled time to play.
For this reason, Djokovic spent less than four hours more on court at this year’s tournament than Alcaraz.
This could be significant considering the 16-year age gap between the two players. The Serbian is also looking to win a record 25th major title.
Djokovic also holds a slight advantage in their head-to-heads, leading five wins to four.
The Australian Open men’s singles final will take place on Sunday, February 1 and begin at 7:30 p.m. local time in Melbourne.
