It Felt Like 2012 All Over Again: Novak Djokovic

When Novak Djokovic walked off Rod Laver Arena close to 2 am, the clock said 2026. But his mind was somewhere else. Six words kept echoing in his head: 2012. Melbourne. Rafael Nadal. Six hours. Five sets. Immortality.

After outlasting Jannik Sinner in a four-hour, five-set epic to reach the Australian Open final, Djokovic admitted the match felt “surreal,” a rare admission from a man who has lived inside pressure his entire career.

The Serb had finally snapped a five-match losing streak against Sinner, the young Italian who has come to symbolise the sport’s future. In doing so, Djokovic reminded the tennis world that the past still bites back.

A champion against time

Fourteen years ago, Djokovic and Nadal produced one of the greatest finals the sport has ever seen. On Friday night, against Sinner, Djokovic felt the same physical and mental abyss staring back at him.

He dropped the first set, he trailed two sets to one, and break points mounted: 18 of them. Last year, exits at the semifinal stage across all Grand Slams hinted at erosion. At 38, with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz monopolising the biggest trophies, this felt like another night where the body might finally refuse to follow the mind.

Instead, Djokovic did what only he does. He saved 16 of 18 break points, dragged himself back with experience, patience and precision, and edged past Sinner 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4—a win forged less in power, more in survival.

Djokovic was effusive in praise for Sinner, acknowledging both the physical toll and the growing rivalry.

Sinner, who saw his 19-match Australian Open winning streak snapped and his hat-trick hopes dashed, did not hide the pain. This was his Slam. And it slipped away. Yet even in defeat, the Italian recognised what he was up against: a player who has shaped eras, bent timelines, and refuses to fade politely.

The final frontier

Waiting in the final is Carlos Alcaraz, the world number one and the last Grand Slam title missing from his cabinet: the Australian Open. Djokovic leads their rivalry 5–4 and beat Alcaraz at Melbourne Park last year. But this time, the stakes are heavier. For Djokovic, it’s a shot at a record-extending 25th Grand Slam, an 11th Australian Open title and a proof that the sport’s new order isn’t complete yet. For the young guns, it’s another chance to shut the door. For Djokovic, it’s another reminder that as long as nights stretch, legs ache, and belief survives, history remains negotiable.

(With inputs from ANI)