By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Tennis great Novak Djokovic pulled off a miraculous victory at the age of 38 against defending champion Jannik Sinner in a 5-set marathon thriller on Friday night to reach the final of the Australian open for the record 11th time to meet top seed Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday.
Ten-time champion Djokovic who has been struck on 24 Grand Slam titles since the US Open in 2023 displayed some extraordinary shots to register 3-6,6-3,4-6,6-4,6-4 magical semi-final victory over Sinner, who had won the championship twice in 2024 and 2025.
The victory of Djokovic also dashed hopes of a dream final between Sinner and Alcaraz who earlier in the day defeated Alexander Zverev in a five-set marathon match 6-4,7-6,6-7,6-7,7-5 in five hours and 27 minutes to meet the Serb on Sunday at Melbourne Park.
Defeat was another bitter pill for Zverev, who is still searching for a first Slam crown aged 28 after being a three-time finalist, including last year in Australia when Sinner beat him.
If Alcaraz lifts the trophy on Sunday, he will become the youngest man ever to win all four Grand Slams, surpassing Rafael Nadal’s record. Nadal was 24 when he did it.
If Djokovic wins, he will become the oldest player to win the Championship and also a record 25th Grand Slam title. “I’m at a loss for words. Thank you for the support. You have all been incredible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all,” Djokovic told the crowd after the semi-final epic which lasted more than 4 hours. Djokovic will be appearing in the 38th Grand Slam final.
The final will be played on Sunday at 2 pm (IST).