Novak Djokovic walked out onto a sunlit Rod Laver Arena with his bag swung over one shoulder and one of the most imposing records in sports tucked away safely in his back pocket.
The world No.1 had won all 10 of his semi-final matches at the Australian Open before going on to lift the trophy every single time after advancing into the decider. Yet Jannik Sinner seemed unperturbed by the weight of history as he went about dismantling the Serbian champion in front of a shocked Melbourne Park crowd.
The Italian has been on a rapid ascent of late, claiming his maiden Masters 1000 title in Toronto last year and climbing up to fourth spot in the ATP rankings.
Sinner will now have the opportunity to take the next massive step in his burgeoning career by winning his first Grand Slam when he faces off against Daniil Medvedev on Sunday for the Aus Open crown.
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Sinner breezed through the first set against Djokovic in a little over 30 minutes and continued to break his service game almost at ease while never coming under pressure on his own serves.
The 22-year-old coasted to the first two sets before finally meeting some resistance from Djokovic, who battled to a third set victory via a tiebreak.
Yet despite being within a point of closing out the match in the third, Sinner took it all in his stride as he resumed normal transmission to win it in four 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3.
Throughout the contest, Sinner could be seen looking up to his box almost as if he was seeking reassurance that it wasn’t all a dream.
Incredibly, he didn’t give up a single break point in the final four matchup, while he made just 28 unforced errors in an as close to flawless display as anyone is likely to see.
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Post-match, Sinner commended his coaching team for reassuring him during his brief moments of doubt and attributed his red-hot form to the fun environment they had created in camp.
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Sinner has been guided by compatriot Simone Vagnozzi in the past two years after the former tennis pro came on board in 2022 following the departure of Riccardo Piatti.
Australian legend Darren Cahill – who is affectionately called ‘Killer’ – was then added to the mix shortly afterwards with the two coaches forming a lethal combination to help Sinner in his rise to the top.
“I’m talking in general, but I think the tactical part is more for Simone,” Sinner explained after Vagnozzi and Cahill were handed the ATP Coach of the Year Award last year.
“The emotional part, talking in the right way before the match, giving confidence, not only to me but also to the team, is a little bit more Darren’s job.
“But I think the mix of both of them, it’s nice. You know, they have a lot of respect for each other. Nobody wants to go over one, so they are always on the same line.”
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Cahill has an illustrious history of helping tennis players reach the summit of the game after famously helping Lleyton Hewitt to win the US Open over two decades ago, before also achieving success with the likes of Andre Agassi and Simona Halep.
After Sinner swept aside Djokovic to set up a decider against world No.3 Medvedev, Cahill highlighted how the Italian – who recorded 64 wins and 15 losses in 2023 – has all of the traits those past champions possessed in spades.
“The work ethic, purpose, desire, willingness to learn, tennis IQ… Jannik has all that,” Cahill said.
“He’s got the qualities I believe that a lot of the great champions in the game have, but you’ve got to start winning to let that come to fruition.
“So, he’s making little steps. He had a good finish to the year last year. He gained a lot of belief from what he was able to do.”
