Djokovic and Alcaraz have shots at tennis history in the Australian Open final

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — In a moment of exhaustion and elation, Novak Djokovic recognized Margaret Court in the crowd and thanked her for staying up so late to watch him get within a single victory of becoming the most decorated tennis player of all time.

The 83-year-old Court was among the VIPs at Rod Laver Arena for Djokovic's epic five-set win over two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in a grueling semifinal that ended after 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

For now, they share the all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. That could change Sunday.

Djokovic's energy-sapping win over Sinner set up a championship decider against top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, the 22-year-old Spaniard bidding to become the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam.

Alcaraz and Sinner have combined to block Djokovic's push for a 25th major title, splitting the last eight majors evenly between them.

In his on-court interview to cap Day 13, Djokovic thanked Court for hanging around to witness him end a streak of five losses to Sinner, and also snap a run of four semifinal defeats at the Grand Slam tournaments.

“Some legends stayed up to 2 a.m.!” he said. “Thank-you so much for being here.”

Djokovic owns just about every record there is available to him, surpassing the marks set down by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He has one more than Serena Williams, who holds the women's Open era record at 23.

He's made no secret of the fact he's only in Australia for the coveted 25th.

Some analysts debate the greatness of Court's career tally because she won 13 of her 24 major singles titles before the professional Open era began in 1968.

Not Djokovic. For him, the numbers speak volumes.

10/10

After beating one half of the “Sincaraz” rivalry, Djokovic gets a shot at another in the 11th final of his career at Melbourne Park. He has won all 10 previously.

The 38-year-old Djokovic said he was sore and tired and likely wouldn't do much practice Saturday, prioritizing recovery.

Alcaraz also said he'll be focussing on recovery after struggling with cramps and a sore right leg in a five-set, 5-hour and 27-minute win over Alexander Zverev. It was the longest semifinal ever at the Australian Open.

It wasn't the longest match ever at Melbourne Park — not surprisingly, Djokovic holds that record with his 5:53 win over Rafael Nadal in the 2012 final.

Djokovic crossed paths with Alcaraz between the five-set semifinals and commended him on pushing through. Alcaraz was on an exercise bike warming down and Djokovic was still preparing for his delayed start to the night.

25 the goal for '26

When he was setting goals for this seaon, Djokovic said he'd asked himself: "Okay, what is it that I’m looking for from myself?”

“I was imagining really playing against Jannik and Carlos at the final stages of Grand Slams and battling it out,” he said. “Very fortunate to already get it in the first Slam of the year.”

Djokovic conceded he was lucky to reach the semifinals, after getting a walkover in the fourth round before Lorenzo Musetti retired during their quarterfinal after taking the first two sets.

Against Sinner, there were times when Djokovic looked down and almost out of gas, but his resilience was phenomenal. Sinner wasn't able to convert eight breakpoint chances in the fifth set —- he was only 2 of 18 in the match — and Djokovic converted the first breakpoint chance he had in the deciding set.

Alcaraz also was wobbly in the third set, taking a medical timeout for what he thought was an injured adductor in his right leg. Turns out, it was more likely cramps. It will be his first final in Australia.

“I just got to do whatever it takes to be as good as I can for the final,” Alcaraz said.

Djokovic hasn't won a major since the 2023 U.S. Open but, while others may have written off his chances, he never doubted he could rise to that level.

“There’s a lot of people that doubted me ... a lot of experts all of a sudden that wanted to retire me," he said. "I want to thank them all because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong."

One for the ages

Djokovic is aiming to become the oldest man in the Open era to win a major title. Alcaraz is aiming to be the youngest ever to win titles at all four Grand Slams.

“There’s always for me, also for Carlos — because of his age and everything he’s achieved — history is on the line,” Djokovic said.

Tough choice

Nadal, who will be at the final, was asked Saturday to pick a preferred champion.

“I feel I have to support Carlos," Nadal said of his fellow Spaniard. But “If Novak wins, I will be happy for him. It is spectacular what he’s doing at this stage of his career."

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis