Novak Djokovic

His 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 semifinal victory over American Tommy Paul on Friday was his 27th win in a row at the event.

Djokovic is now a win away from his 10th Australian Open title. Australian Open Semifinal Previews: Elena Rybakina vs. Djokovic leads Tsitsipas in their head-to-head, 10-2, winning their last nine in a row. Djokovic made a blistering start to the match, breaking Paul in his opening service game for a 2-0 lead, and eventually building a 5-1, double-break lead, even holding a set point in that game. 1 in Australia, and No. Sabalenka is a compelling battle for No.

Novak Djokovic is into his 10th Australian Open final after beating the American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2.

But at 5-1 deuce, Djokovic argued with the umpire, Damien Dumusois, over the 25-second shot clock and he briefly seemed to lose concentration. He struck four unforced errors in his opening service game and quickly fell down a break that quickly became two. Paul is a solid all-around player with few weaknesses, a great athlete who is confident off both wings and a desire to finish points at the net. With 27 consecutive wins in Melbourne dating back to 2019, he now boasts the biggest winning streak in the history of the tournament. At 35, the Serbian is also the fourth oldest man in the open era to reach the Australian Open final. He made unforced errors he would never normally make, he unloaded words of frustration at his team in his player box and struggled with his usually untouchable backhand.

Srdjan Djokovic courted controversy when he was filmed taking part in a pro-Russian demonstration at the Australian Open, standing next to a Vladimir Putin ...

Tennis Australia stands with the call for peace and an end to war and violent conflict in Ukraine." It read: "After the events of Wednesday night, we acted swiftly to work with police and our security teams to have the instigators of the protest removed from the venue. We will continue to strive for the safety of fans at the event and reiterate our position banning flags from Belarus and Russia. [Russia](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/russia)", but the remark has been translated by Serbian journalists as a simple goodbye. The protestor was also wearing a t-shirt bearing the Z symbol that demonstrates support for the war in [Ukraine](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/ukraine). I wish for a great match and I will be cheering for my son, as always," he said.

Seemingly cruising against United States opponent Tommy Paul at 5-1 in the first set, Djokovic was unsettled by a serve clock violation when he went to get his ...

The serve clock gives players a maximum of 25 seconds to hit a serve after the completion of the previous point. The typically ice-cool Djokovic lost his head after that moment, with Paul winning nine points in a row before clawing the first set back to 5-5. Djokovic also asked the umpire: 'What are you going to do about it? During his quarter final win over Andrey Rublev, he demanded that a fan be warned after [he was heard shouting 'send him home Rublev' ](/sport/tennis/article-11674521/Novak-Djokovic-ERUPTS-umpire-punters-deportation-taunt-Australian-Open.html)- referring to his deportation saga in 2022. Djokovic has a row with umpire in his Australian Open semi-final over serve clock that started as he fetched a towel... and then taunts the booing crowd as he wins the first set

The Serbian will take on Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday in his 33rd grand slam final bidding to equal Rafael Nadal's record tally of 22 titles, while the winner ...

But Paul was unable to hold his own serve to force a tie-break and, to boos from the crowd, Djokovic returned to his seat gesturing for the noise to get louder. Djokovic looked nervous to begin with but was not punished, saving two break points in the opening game and coming out on top in all the big moments to move into a 5-1 lead. The 35-year-old had steam-rollered Alex De Minaur and Andrey Rublev in the previous two rounds but did not look settled from the start here, perhaps a legacy of the events of the past 24 hours after his father was filmed with Vladimir Putin supporters at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.

Novak Djokovic equals Serena Williams on the all-time list for most Grand Slam singles finals reached (33); The 21-time Grand Slam champion also seals a ...

"I respect him (Tsitsipas) a lot, he has improved a lot over the years. Let the best player win." The 35-year-old, who set a new record of 27 straight match wins here, said: "I'm just really pleased to get to another final," said Djokovic.

MIKE DICKSON IN MELBOURNE:Occasionally agitated and rarely at his best, Novak Djokovic cruised into the Australian Open final to set up a meeting with ...

[ announced that he would not be attending](/sport/tennis/article-11682617/Novak-Djokovics-father-NOT-Melbourne-Park-support-son-Australian-Open-semi.html) after the [controversy over his public association with Russia sympathisers](/sport/tennis/article-11681267/Novak-Djokovic-Ukraine-demands-Australian-Open-ban-dad-posing-Russian-Putin-fans.html) on Wednesday. [Novak Djokovic](/sport/novak_djokovic/index.html) nonetheless cruised into the Australian Open final to set up a meeting with [Stefanos Tsitsipas](/sport/stefanos-tsitsipas/index.html). [Serb will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday](/sport/tennis/article-11682713/Stefanos-Tsitsipas-reaches-Australian-Open-final-beating-Karen-Khachanov-four-sets.html)

Fans on Rod Laver Arena booed as Novak Djokovic confronted the umpire about the shot clock.

And the lapse of concentration appeared to cost Djokovic, as he was broken by the American for the first time while attempting to close out the set, having had a set point just before airing his grievances with the chair umpire. The Serb then approached his chair to discuss the issue as the Rod Laver Arena crowd began loudly booing, drowning out what the umpire was telling Djokovic. Djokovic was left unhappy with the umpire during his Australian Open semi-final after going to his towel box while serving for the first set at 5-1.

Novak Djokovic faces Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open men's singles final, bidding to tie Rafael Nadal's men's Grand Slam titles record.

He got into a bit of a discussion with the chair umpire. That drought will continue for now, because even though Djokovic was not at his best in the opening set, he was good enough at the end of it, breaking in the last game, and never relented. He got broken when serving for the set there. Djokovic saved that, but then another missed backhand provided another break chance to someone playing the biggest match of his life. In the first game, Djokovic flubbed an overhead, a weakness he’s never solved. The serving was so-so. The 25-year-old was born in New Jersey and grew up in North Carolina, playing tennis at a club where the walls were festooned with posters of Andy Roddick — the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title, way back at the 2003 U.S. The shotmaking was subpar. There was a pause in that string of victories a year ago, of course, when Djokovic was deported from Australia before competition began because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. If he can add one more to go alongside his seven titles at Wimbledon, three at the U.S. 1 in the ATP rankings. 1 there back in 2008, but his father stayed away from this match after getting caught up in a flap connected to spectators who brought banned Russian flags on site earlier in the week.

A rampant Novak Djokovic surged into a 10th Australian Open final Friday to close in on a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam crown, with only Stefanos ...

Despite failing to get over the line when serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set, then with two match points in the tiebreak, he kept his cool to secure the win and a date with Djokovic. Experience helps also," he added of being in another final. At 24, Tsitsipas is the youngest man to reach the Melbourne final since a 23-year-old Djokovic in 2011. In the previous one, at Roland Garros in 2021, he fell to Djokovic in five sets after holding a 2-0 lead. A run-in with the umpire over using his towel between points seemed to rattle Djokovic and he was broken twice in a row as Paul came surging back to 5-5. "Of course, I'm not as fresh as the beginning of the tournament but we put in a lot of hours in the off-season on fitness in order to be in a good condition to play best of five (sets).

MIKE DICKSON: The nine-times champion, who will now have a chance to regain the world number one spot, described his parent as having been 'misused' by ...

Not causing a disturbance, he was allowed to remain until the end. ?Especially with the kind of things being chanted, said to the camera and the T-shirt which was being worn. That the crowd should have been vociferously rooting for a relatively obscure American as they did suggested that the whole episode of Wednesday has dented Djokovic’s standing. For all the maintaining of innocence it is a considerable stretch to claim that Srdjan could not have been aware of the sort of people he was consorting with. Unfortunately some of the media has interpreted that in a really wrong way.’ ‘My father has been going after every single match to meet with my fans at the main square here in Australian Open, to thank them for the support, pay them respect, and make photos.

Novak Djokovic advanced to the Australian Open final after defeating American Tommy Paul. The nine-time tournament winner will face Stefanos Tsitsipas on...

That drought will continue for now, because even though Djokovic was not at his best in the opening set, he was good enough at the end of it, breaking in the last game, and never relented. In the first game, Djokovic flubbed an overhead, a weakness he’s never solved. Djokovic got broken when serving for the set there. The serving was so-so. The 25-year-old was born in New Jersey and grew up in North Carolina, playing tennis at a club where the walls were festooned with posters of Andy Roddick — the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title, way back at the 2003 U.S. The shotmaking was subpar. Open and two at the French Open, Djokovic would equal Nadal for the most Grand Slam trophies earned by a man. Djokovic is now a perfect 19-0 over the last two rounds in Melbourne, and his nine triumphs there already are a men’s record. There was a pause in that string of victories a year ago, of course, when Djokovic was deported from Australia before competition began because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. And so, not surprisingly, he overcame some shaky play in the early going and took over the match, beating Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 to close in on a 10th Australian Open championship and 22nd Grand Slam title overall. 1 in the ATP rankings. Forget about how Djokovic produced twice as many unforced errors, 24, as winners, 12, in the opening set.

Novak Djokovic put aside the controversy surrounding his father to beat American Tommy Paul and surge into a 10th Australian Open final Friday.

Experience helps also," he added of being in yet another final. Despite failing to get over the line when serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set, then with two match points in the tiebreak, he kept his cool to secure the win and a date with Djokovic. In the previous one, at Roland Garros in 2021, he fell to Djokovic in five sets after holding a 2-0 lead. Djokovic said after his match that the incident had been "misinterpreted", that his family was against war and he hoped to have his father back in his box for Sunday's final. A run-in with the umpire over using his towel between points seemed to rattle Djokovic and he was broken twice in a row as Paul came surging back to 5-5. Melbourne — Novak Djokovic put aside the controversy surrounding his father to surge into a 10th Australian Open final Friday and close in on a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam crown.

He lifted his first major trophy in Melbourne 15 years ago, and now—at the same event—he goes for No. 22.

3 in the world at the time, he made it all the way to the final without dropping a set, including avenging that US Open defeat to world No. In Australia, he closed the deal—ranked No. 9 Andy Murray, No.

While en route to a securing a record breaking win streak at the Australian Open Novak Djokovic engaged in a passionate chat with the chair umpire on the ...

But Djokovic showed his champion qualities as he won the next two games to clinch the first set 7-5 to a chorus of boos from the crowd. Djokovic hit back: “It's the first time I've been to the towel this game, and you start the clock before I touch the towel. The 35-year-old argued that the chair umpire should have started the shot clock after he had gone to collect his towel. Tim Henman, working in his role as a Eurosport pundit, agreed that the incident distracted him. The two-hour, 20-minute 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 win set up a blockbuster championship match clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who earlier defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3. Having opened up a commanding 5-1 lead in the opening set on Rod Laver Arena, the Serbian was left flustered by a serve clock violation when he went to get his towel.

Novak Djokovics father misses semi-final after emergence of a video showing him posing with fans holding Russian flags; nine-time champion says the incident ...

Unfortunately some of the media has interpreted that in a really wrong way. "There was a lot of Serbian flags around. "It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level. It really hurts and I don't understand how this can be possible." Then, of course, I was not pleased to see that. I hope that people will let it be, and we can focus on tennis.

Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan Djokovic (L) and mother Dijana Djokovic (R), react after he beats Russia's Andrey Rublev in the men's singles quarter-final ...

The last Open was all about Djokovic," he said. And then of course I was not pleased to see that. We will never support any violence or war," he added. I was not aware of it until last night. "I saw as everyone else saw what happened and it was unfortunate the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level," Djokovic said after his semi-final. Novak Djokovic hit out Friday at what he said was a "misinterpretation" of images showing his father posing at the Australian Open with a Russian flag that had Vladimir Putin's face on it.

The 35-year-old is scything his way through the Australian Open in a haze of righteous fury after being deported a year ago.

He remains, for example, a disciple of the wellness guru Chervin Jafarieh, who has a podcast with the amazingly terrible/brilliant name Wake The Fake Up, who starts each day with an hour and a half of trampolining followed by a mouthful of “longevity mushrooms”, and who basically wants to sell you his wellness products via Novak’s Instagram page. Is this all forbidden fruit, a tennis version of the good bits with the devil in Paradise Lost that you’re not supposed to enjoy? Is it wrong, is it weak, is it politically suspect to appreciate the dark pleasure in this revenger’s story, the extraordinary dramatic arc? Now, a year on, we have this, a 35-year-old scything his way through the tournament in a haze of righteous fury. By the end Djokovic was playing at something close to his most irresistible pitch, a level of intensity and precision where the opponent basically becomes irrelevant, an ominous prospect for Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday afternoon. And yet aged 35 he is now on the verge of completing one of the most mind-bogglingly cinematic narrative arcs in sporting history.

Serbian tennis player says images showing his father posing with a Russian flag at the Australian Open were 'misinterpreted'.

And then of course I was not pleased to see that. We will never support any violence or war,” he added. “My father, my whole family, have been through several wars. I was not aware of it until last night. “I saw as everyone else saw what happened and it was unfortunate the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level,” Djokovic said after his semi-final. Melbourne — Novak Djokovic hit out on Friday at what he said was a “misinterpretation” of images showing his father posing at the Australian Open with a Russian flag that had Vladimir Putin'’s face on it.

Novak Djokovic will look to his experience as a nine-time Australian Open champion when he meets Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's final in Melbourne.

“[A] personal reason is that I feel on the tennis court I always have an opportunity to learn something new about myself [and] fight with my own demons, that I guess we all have,” said Djokovic. Tying Nadal in the Grand Slam titles race with victory in Melbourne would set Djokovic up to push for more historic achievements in 2023. Yet he will take nothing for granted in the knowledge that the 24-year-old third seed has more than enough incentive to bring his best to [Rod Laver](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/rod-laver/l058/overview) Arena. “When we're on the tennis court in the midst of a battle, some of the things surface, and I have to deal with it. Then [it] was quite smooth sailing, I would say, from the beginning of the second towards the end of the match. The Serbian led 5-1, 40/30 but allowed the American back into the set at 5-5, before Djokovic regained his composure just in time to clinch a set in which he hit 24 unforced errors. He could equal [Rafael Nadal](https://www.atptour.com/en/players/rafael-nadal/n409/overview)’s record of 22 Grand Slam crowns with victory over Tsitsipas, while whichever player wins is also set to claim the No. “Of course, still the job needs to be done on the court,” said Djokovic, who has won his past nine tour-level meetings against the Greek. “I think that the experience of being in this particular situation and circumstances before helps. I'm really glad to overcome that crisis towards the end of the first set. “I'm of course very satisfied and pleased to be in another Grand Slam final,” said Djokovic after riding out his rough patch to reach his 10th championship match at the hard-court major. “I know his game pretty well.

Novak Djokovic speaks to reporters after defeating Tommy Paul at the Australian Open. William West/AFP/Getty Images. CNN —.

“Of course, it wasn’t, again, pleasant not to have him in the box [on Friday],” he said. “I hope to have him. “The photo that he made, he was passing through,” said Djokovic. “As my father put in a statement, we are against the war, we never will support any violence or any war. But I hope people understand that there was absolutely no intention whatsoever to support any kind of war initiatives or anything like that. “I heard what he said in the video.

Novak Djokovics father misses semi-final after emergence of a video showing him posing with fans holding Russian flags; nine-time champion says the incident ...

Unfortunately some of the media has interpreted that in a really wrong way. "There was a lot of Serbian flags around. "It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level. It really hurts and I don't understand how this can be possible." Then, of course, I was not pleased to see that. I hope that people will let it be, and we can focus on tennis.

Novak Djokovic's dad watched his son's Australian Open semi-final win over Tommy Paul from home.

Sunday's final is a repeat of the 2021 French Open clash between Djokovic and Tsitsipas, where the Serbian tennis star came back from two sets down to win. I hope he's going to be feeling okay to be in the courts because I would like to have him there for the finals." The Serbian tennis star defended his dad, insisting he was "misused by this group of people". The 21-time Grand Slam champion was able to come through the match unscathed, setting up a final with Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday. Srdjan faced a huge backlash for his actions, which also saw him stand alongside a man wearing the pro-war 'Z' symbol on his t-shirt. Srdjan Djokovic was caught in a storm inside Melbourne Park following his son's win over Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.

Novak Djokovic has reportedly flown in famous sports doctor Marijana Kovacevic in the latter stages of the Australian Open to help the Serbian deal with his ...

Speaking after reaching Sunday's final, Djokovic said he was "grateful" for the doctor stepping in to help his recovery. "I've had a lot of treatments with a lot of people here in Melbourne. "We also thought of Marijana, who traveled halfway around the world to come here. “She explained everything to me beforehand and told me she would be using fluid from a placenta that had come from a woman. Djokovic admitted at the start of the tournament that he didn't know how his body would hold up in Australia after aggravating a hamstring issue in Adelaide. But there appears to have been a shift in Djokovic's condition in the previous rounds having demolished both Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev.

Stefanos Tsitsipas will try to live out a dream forged 17 years ago when he takes on Novak Djokovic for the Australian Open title on Sunday.

"I think that the experience of being in this particular situation and circumstances before helps," he said. I know what's ahead of me, and I'm excited." I'm going to play against Tsitsipas, who is in a great shape, great form, has been playing some of his best tennis. "Starting from that, I knew if I'm able to get out of my country and compete in other countries, European leagues - I proved myself over and over again that I'm actually good. "I'm playing great tennis," he said. I want to recreate that feeling for me'.

In his current form, it's hard to make a case for anybody to beat Djokovic. But Tsitsipas has made the Serbian work hard before, and we believe he can do it ...

And this is also a way to potentially middle the match, if you backed Djokovic before the tournament. These two have met twice in a Grand Slam setting, with both match-ups coming at the French Open, and both of those matches went to deciding fifth sets. If he can just steal a set or work his way into two tiebreakers, this Over should hit with ease. There aren’t many people on the planet that believe Tsitsipas can beat him in this current form, but we like that he doesn’t have to. Tsitsipas has lost only three sets all tournament, and two of those came in a heavyweight battle against Jannik Sinner in the fourth round. We had Novak Djokovic as our pre-tournament best bet to win the 2023 Australian Open, and we suggested betting three or four units on him.

Novak Djokovic will lock horns with Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday.

He thought he was making a photo with somebody from Serbia. "I was not pleased to see that. It's not something that I want or need. He added: "There was a lot of Serbian flags around. [Novak Djokovic](/latest/novak-djokovic) is currently preparing for his [Australian Open](/latest/australian-open) final clash with [Stefanos Tsitsipas](/latest/stefanos-tsitsipas). And, should he emerge victorious, he’ll join [Rafael Nadal](/latest/rafael-nadal) on 22 Grand Slam titles.

ATPTour.com looks back at six epic matches between Serbia's Novak Djokovic and Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Earning the second of four consecutive Top 10 wins in Toronto, Tsitsipas opened this ATP Head2Head series with a victory that helped propel him into stardom. Djokovic cruised to the opening set, but Tsitsipas claimed the second with his first break, then saw home an early advantage in the decider. I wasn't really thinking too much in the future, and I think that helped a lot." Tsitsipas improved to 2-1 in this young rivalry with a stirring comeback to earn his first win against a reigning World No. In a match played across two days in Rome, Tsitsipas slept on a set-and-a-break lead before Djokovic began to find his footing on the clay. With new life, Tsitsipas continued to pummel his groundstrokes and attack the Djokovic backhand. With his first comeback from two-sets-to-love in a major final, Djokovic won his 19th Slam title and his second in Paris. But Djokovic left the court after losing the second set and emerged as a "different player", shifting the match decisively when play resumed. Djokovic's dominant serving made the difference, as he won 84 per cent (41/49) of his first-serve points and did not face a break point in the first or third set. He did not face a break point in the final three sets, controlling each one behind an early break. Djokovic extended his winning streak to eight straight matches against Tsitsipas with this gutsy victory, claiming the final four points of the match after falling behind by a mini-break in the decisive tie-break. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Serb has looked as dominant as ever but sleeping on his opponent's storming season would be a misstep in Melbourne.

Tsitsipas knows how well he can serve, how he can dominate the baseline with his forehand and use his athleticism and deft touch to stay with Djokovic in the cat-and-mouse exchanges to come. They have clearly helped produce his best tennis and the prospect of achieving history under these circumstances, as the first Greek grand slam champion and No 1, means even more to him than if it were anywhere else. For two sets he showed all of his colours, from his resilience to snatch the first set tiebreak, to the level he maintained in consolidating it. Aside from the possibility of Djokovic’s hamstring derailing him, a final against Tsitsipas was clearly the biggest threat. [fourth-round demolition of Alex de Minaur](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jan/23/australian-open-tennis-novak-djokovic-blasts-past-de-minaur-and-into-quarter-finals), Novak Djokovic discussed a field that contained no other grand slam champion in the draw. Djokovic identified Stefanos Tsitsipas as the most experienced player left, but as he spoke of the various milestones in Tsitsipas’s career, Djokovic’s memory failed.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley has spoken with Novak Djokovic's family following Srdjan Djokovic's controversial activity with pro-Vladimir ...

But Djokovic has admitted that he hopes his father can be present in some capacity as he bids to win his 10th Australian Open title. I hope he's going to be feeling okay to be in the courts because I would like to have him there for the finals." “I did spend a fair amount of time talking to the Djokovic family,” Tiley told Australian media. However, [Ukraine](https://www.express.co.uk/latest/ukraine)'s ambassador to Australia has demanded that Srdjan be banned from the Australian Open altogether following the incident. The nine-time Australian Open brushed off his father's antics as a misinterpretation, insisting he was "misused by this group of people". It's led to tournament director and Tennis Australia chief Tiley holding conversations with the Djokovic family.

Novak Djokovic's loyal fanbase have been angered by the amount of abuse their sporting hero has received throughout the Australian Open, and there was even ...

I just don't think there's going to be any conflict on and off the court in terms of the crowd. "Well, I hope that all the people who are going to come to the finals are going to be there for tennis and sport because that's what we all wish for," he said. Djokovic's final against Stefanos Tsitsipas is expected to be loud with the Serbian and Greek communities set to show huge support for their respective sporting heroes. It took a while before security was eventually called to kick them out, but Djokovic's matches have been the main source of disruptions. But that threat has failed to detract several unruly spectators throughout the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic's loyal fanbase have been angered by the amount of abuse their sporting hero has received throughout the Australian Open, and there was even more frustration on show during his semi-final win over Tommy Paul.