Novak Djokovic has message for his doubters after Jannik Sinner win in Australia

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Novak Djokovic shocked the world in Melbourne.

Few gave him a chance against Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champion.

Proving the doubters wrong, Djokovic defeated Sinner in five sets, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Where does that performance rank out of Novak Djokovic’s best of all time?

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He’ll now prepare to take on Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final, searching for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.

Delighted with the win, Djokovic had a message for his doubters during his post-match press conference.

Novak Djokovic thanks his doubters for motivating him

“I never stopped doubting. I never stopped believing in myself, you know. There are a lot of people who doubt me. I see there are a lot of experts all of a sudden who wanted to retire me or have retired me many times the last couple of years,” said Djokovic.

“You know, I want to thank them all, because they gave me strength.

“They gave me motivation to prove them wrong, which I have tonight. For me, it’s not a surprise, to be honest.

“I know what I’m capable of.”

Djokovic was asked how he managed to get from his lucky escape against Lorenzo Musetti to his sensational win over Sinner.

“I’ve had many, many times in my career matches during the Grand Slam where it’s just one of those days where you’re not feeling your best. You try to find a way to win with everything that you possibly have, even though the quality of tennis is not even close to where you want it to be,” he said.

“So that was the case, you know?

“Again, I was lucky that obviously Lorenzo [Musetti] got hurt and retired from that match. Two days later, obviously a different opponent.

Novak Djokovic’s route to the 2026 Australian Open final

• 2026 Australian Open 1R [WIN] vs Pedro Martinez, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
• 2026 Australian Open 2R [WIN] vs Francesco Maestrelli, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
• 2026 Australian Open 3R [WIN] vs Botic van de Zandschulp, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6
• 2026 Australian Open 4R [WALKOVER] vs Jakub Mensik
• 2026 Australian Open QF [WIN] vs Lorenzo Musetti, 4-6, 3-6, 3-1 (RET)
• 2026 Australian Open SF [WIN] vs Jannik Sinner, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4

“I knew exactly what was expected of me on the court, and I came out with the right, great clarity, strategy, and game plan, and what needed to be executed.

“Obviously, easier said than done. You know, one thing is to imagine how you want to play, and the other thing is to deliver it and execute it on the court against [Jannik] Sinner, who we all know is playing at an extremely high level.

“I mean, I’m just thrilled to be able to experience something like this tonight.”

Djokovic executed his game plan perfectly against Sinner, securing his first win in six against the Italian.

Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner’s head-to-head record

If he can execute that game plan for just one more match, he’ll create another piece of history on Rod Laver Arena.

Novak Djokovic can become the first tennis player to win 25 Grand Slams

Djokovic has more Slams than anybody else in the Open Era, but is tied with Margaret Court for 24 Slams across both the Open and Amateur Eras.

A win for Djokovic on Sunday would move him ahead of Court, on 25 Slams.

Djokovic even mentioned Court during his post-match interview, but said nothing about the record he’ll be trying to break when he returns to Rod Laver Arena.

“Some legends stayed here until 2 a.m. Margaret Court, thank you for being here until the end today,” he said.

Only time will tell if he can win his 25th Grand Slam title and usurp Court in the all-time list.

Djokovic will play Alcaraz in the 2026 Australian Open final on Sunday, February 1.