The match against Rafael Nadal in Australia for the title 14 years back was a massive chapter in their legacies as they gave their all in a five-set masterclass that lasted almost six hours, with Djokovic edging out the Spaniard.
After snapping his five-match losing streak against young Italian sensantion Jannik Sinner to reach the Australian Open final, Serbian tennis icon and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic said that the match felt "surreal" and reminded him of the Australian Open 2012 final against old rival Rafael Nadal due to the high-quality of tennis played.
Djokovic produced some of his best tennis of the tournament, snapping his losing streak against the young Italian sensation to set up an epic Australian Open finale with world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who is also gunning for this particular Grand Slam title he has yet to win.
The match against Nadal in Australia for the title 14 years back was a massive chapter in their legacies as they gave their all in a five-set masterclass that lasted almost six hours, with Djokovic edging out Nadal.
Now playing against two young emerging stars, Alcaraz and Sinner and enduring struggles as a 38-year-old, Djokovic, who crashed out in the semis of all Grand Slams last year, admitted being "lost for words". He hailed the young Italian for pushing him to his limits.
'I have tremendous respect for Sinner'
"I am lost for words," said Djokovic as quoted by the Australian Open website.
"It feels surreal to be honest, playing four hours, almost 2 am, reminiscent of 2012 when I played Rafa in the final."
"The quality of the tennis was extremely high, and I knew that that was the only way for me to have a chance to win tonight against him."
"He won the last five matches against me; he had my mobile number, so I had to change my number for tonight. I have tremendous respect for him, incredible player, I mean, he pushes you to the very limit, which is what he did tonight to me," he concluded.
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